Never Alone Again
by Cpt. Ritter
Summary: A mission to a nearby planet goes horribly wrong.
1. Capture

_A/N: Story Beta'd by The Puppeteer, Angw, and Trickster's Queen of War(Soon). This story wouldn't have been possible without the wonderful support and creative thoughts of The Puppeteer, also known as Vaberella._

Whoever believed in luck, had never met John Sheppard and his team. No less than three months ago they'd been captured by Aiden Ford and gone on a suicidal mission to a wraith Hive Ship. Less than two months ago they'd been ambushed again, this time by a group of overly dramatic Shakespearian melodramatics.

At least this time, they were still fighting. John had to admit that was good. The trick was to avoiding getting encircled, and they'd gotten themselves into a mess. The mission had started off peacefully enough, with the team walking through the gate investigating a power reading that had caught Rodney's eye. They should've stayed away.

After they'd traveled a mile they had been ambushed on the road, resulting in the current firefight they were now in. Ronon and Rodney were leading the way, while John and Teyla covered. Generally all they could do was shoot blindly into the trees. The people they were fighting were definitely human, and definitely professionals.

He traded fire with one group of enemies, not pausing to see if he hit anyone. He just wanted their heads down. He quickly glanced over to see Teyla doing the same thing, but for a different group, coming more from her side. Her hair was a mess, and her brow stained with sweat. Her jacket sleeve had ripped on a tree during the early part of their flight and was now hanging loosely, there wasn't enough time to fix it.

"Dead end!" Ronon announced as they found themselves pressed against a rock wall. It was a small cliff, but large enough that climbing it was out of the question.

"Go left!" John yelled. Either direction was just as bad. Enemies pouring in from all sides and not enough room or distance to effectively shoot back. He wished he'd brought a bigger gun. Of course, none of that mattered now.

John wished he'd brought a smoke grenade too, remembering that Ford generally had those with him. No time to miss the young Lieutenant now, not when he still had to get his team out of this mess. Rodney couldn't take the running much longer, and John knew it.

"Into the cave." Rodney yelled.

There was a cave in the rocky outcropping that compromised the rock wall. Rodney hadn't been picking blindly. The cave's entrance was half covered in rocks, making it an ideal defensive position. John didn't want to stop moving though.

He and Teyla set up positions behind the two largest rocks, using them for cover. He made sure Teyla was covering him before turning back to face Ronon and Rodney. "Find out if the cave has a back door. Ronon go with him."

Ronon nodded and shoved Rodney to get the scientist moving. Rodney muttered something about Conan and John rolled his eyes before turning and firing again. Rodney was lucky Ronon knew next to nothing about Earth culture; especially about the reference to Conan the Barbarian.

He ducked fully behind the rock for second, allowing himself to slow his breathing and letting the enemy fire away at the rocks. Better that they waste their ammo than he did. Teyla took two careful shots before doing likewise.

"Where are they coming from?" She asked, her voice carrying across the small space even over the gun fire.

John caught site of one of the soldiers trying to get close. He aimed around the rock and fired a quick burst. He didn't wait to see if he hit but he knew he did. "Don't know." He replied to her earlier statement. "What have we done to piss them off?"

"Perhaps it was your hair?" Teyla replied, taking her turn to shoot briefly. More bullets chipped away at the rock she was hiding behind.

"Ha, very funny." John replied, carefully looking to see if any of the enemies were exposed. At least they hadn't rushed them, but he was sure that it was coming if they didn't find a way out soon. "You have been hanging around McKay too much."

Teyla didn't reply, but took aim and fired a burst of her own. She must've hit someone because he heard the distinctive sound of a body slumping over. "This is a waste." She replied, frustrated. "We should be allies against the Wraith, not fighting each other."

"No argument here." John ducked as a torrent of bullets began ricocheting off the rock walls.

Ronon and Rodney came running back. Even he looked tired from the hard running they'd been doing in the last few minutes.

"There's another entrance on the other side of this cave." Rodney said between gasps.

"No enemies." Ronon finished.

"Good, here's the plan. Teyla goes..."  
Teyla must've been distracted by him giving out orders because she didn't see the enemy that shot her. Ronon immediately took the enemy down, but Teyla was already clutching the side of her stomach. Her hand came back bloody.

"Damn it!" John yelled. Taking a chance he threw a grenade out into the open. At the very least it bought them time. He glanced at Ronon. "Get Teyla out of here, head for the Stargate. Whatever you do, don't stop!"

"But what about?" Rodney protested.

"I'll hold them back and distract them." He replied. "Once you're at the gate, radio me but don't wait!"

"I'm coming back for you." Ronon replied. It was a statement, not a request.

John wouldn't have any of it. He fired a burst to keep the enemies heads down as Rodney pulled Teyla back further into the cave. Rodney hastily bandaged her wound; it wasn't perfect, but it'd have to do. "Get Teyla back to Atlantis! No arguments!"

"We're not leaving without you!" Rodney stated exasperated.

"We don't have time for this." John replied.

An enemy grenade exploded near the opening of the cave, showering John with dirt. He quickly ducked back to where McKay was, knowing they were running out of time. Teyla was unconscious and her bandage was already bloody. He quickly pressed his forehead to hers.

He turned back to Ronon. "Get the hell out of here!"

Ronon finally conceded, picking up Teyla, hoisting her over his shoulders. Rodney grabbed Teyla's P90. John took two of her extra clips, handing the rest to Rodney. With one last look, John let his team go.

He turned back to the entrance just in the nick of time. The enemy had advanced. That was fine with him. Discarding and empty clip on the ground, he fired a burst that drilled through a whole group of them. He ducked behind a rock further back.

He quickly checked his supplies. Two grenades, three clips, two pistol clips and the clip in the gun, along with a lot of useless junk in his flak vest. He grabbed one of the grenades and tossed it out the cave entrance.

He must've hit something because he was sure the enemy was cursing. He took that as a good sign, now he had to convince them not to follow his team. That meant exposing himself, drawing their fire. It wasn't a duty he enjoyed, but it was his responsibility as team leader.

He fired a long burst as he ducked behind his previous piece of cover. Now he had to keep them occupied long enough for Ronon, Teyla, and Rodney to get to the gate. Taking a risk he fired a long burst, perforating the tree line, not worrying about hitting anyone, but forcing them to duck.

He dropped the empty clip to the ground and loaded another one. Two more clips before he was down to his pistol. He pulled the pin on his grenade and tossed it over his rock, making sure that no one was sneaking up. He knew he was running out of options now that he had no grenades.

He looked through the site and carefully took aim around the rock. He didn't see anyone, but a hale storm of bullets forced him to rethink the strategy. There was no way he could take them all, he was just buying time.

He quickly thought about the distance to the gate. Accounting for the fact that carrying Teyla and Rodney's whining would slow Ronon down, it shouldn't take him long to reach the gate. They were already pretty close, this rock wall was the problem.

Then he heard a distinct whistle blow loudly into the air. Suddenly, all the gun fire stopped. John held his breath, and then he heard the grenades begin exploding near his position. He wasn't going to die in a grenade explosion, so he quickly darted back into the cave.

They only had so many grenades, or at least that's what his logic was telling him, but the explosions were sending dust flying everywhere, making it difficult to see, and even harder to breath. He figured it was time to set up a line deeper in the cave.

He was back far enough so the grenades couldn't reach him, but he could still see the entrance. The charge was coming and he knew it. Taking a deep breath, he raised his P90 to a ready position, aiming carefully down the site.

He never expected what happened next. Suddenly a torrent of wraith stunner blasts ripped through the area where he'd been hiding. One hit him square in the chest. Paralysis slowly began to claim him, making it impossible for him to shoot at the soldiers now pouring into the cave, flashlights illuminating the dark space.

His radio squawked. "Sheppard, we're at the gate now get out of there." It was Rodney's voice, but John was already beginning to lose consciousness. "Sheppard, do you hear me?"

His last thought was that he'd bought them enough time to escape, at least he could die happy in that way. It didn't occur to him that he'd wake up later from the stunner blast, his mind was already slowing to the point in which he could barely focus anymore. His gun was kicked from his hands and a rifle butt sent him straight to unconsciousness.

XXX

"Damn it Sheppard!" Rodney yelled into the radio.

Ronon grabbed the scientist and shoved him through the active gate, knowing that Sheppard had been captured. He also knew there was nothing they could do. Sheppard had told him to get Teyla and Rodney back to Atlantis. He intended to fulfill that oath.

It also mattered because as he stepped through, more soldiers were running for the gate. He came through to the other side and instantly yelled. "Raise the shield."

Elizabeth hesitated for a split second before giving the order. She looked immediately to Ronon, who gently set Teyla down. He returned the glare before silently motioning to Teyla.

"We need a damn medic!" Rodney yelled, still in distress over losing Sheppard.

Ronon knew Teyla was in good hands as soon as he saw the Doctor come running with a stretcher and a team of nurses. He walked over to Rodney and shook the scientist, forcing his gaze upon him.

"Get it through your head McKay. Sheppard gave us our orders and there wasn't anything we could do about it. Focus on how to get him back." Ronon didn't wait for the scientist's response, preferring to unnerve him because it got him back on track.

He didn't get five feet before he was stopped by Weir.

"What the hell happened out there?" Elizabeth said calmly, but her voice told him he'd better make it quick.

"Sheppard bought us the time we needed to escape." Ronon replied. "Without him, we'd all be dead."

"Full debriefing, you and Rodney, in twenty minutes."

Ronon nodded, then headed off to catch up with the Doctor. He didn't relate to a lot of people in the expedition. He carried a sword on missions, didn't use a P90. Maybe that was why he and Teyla had found each other such strong friends. They were alike in some ways, and different in others, but they were both natives to this galaxy.

The infirmary was bustling with activity, but that was nothing new after they'd cut it so close to the edge. Ronon pushed his way through the crowd until he caught site of Carson Beckett, the Scottish doctor he'd grown found of over his stay on Atlantis.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She'll be fine." He replied. "The bullet went straight through, which is good. It also missed any organs."

Ronon raised an eyebrow. None of this meant anything to him.

Carson sighed. "We've cleaned up the wound, but it's gotta stay bandaged for awhile. Other than that give her a day before she's on her feet, and a week before I want her back on missions."

He nodded. "Can I see her?"

"I've got her sedated, but you're welcome to look. The nurses are finishing dressin' the wound." Carson motioned to the door.

Ronon quietly stepped in as the nurses finished. Teyla's flak vest and equipment had been dumped on the floor, and shoved out of the way. Her brown tank top was pulled up so the wound could be properly bandaged. He figured they get her into hospital scrubs eventually, but for now she was fine, resting comfortable.

An IV was inserted into her upper arm, attached to a packet of blood, and another clear liquid. He didn't understand how it worked, but after being injured numerous times off world, he knew it was effective and that he should trust Beckett. Now it was a waiting game until Teyla regained consciousness. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long.

XXX

He had a splintering headache, so he must not be dead. At least, that was his logic at the moment. His whole body felt like jelly, barely moving when he want to the shake the feeling back into his limbs. That and all he could see was a gray blur, hopefully it'd get better.

His vision was the first to clear up, finally confirming his theory that he was in a cell. At least it wasn't something crudely constructed in rock. The room had four identical walls. One of which had to be an entrance.

His arms and legs were next, slowly responding to his commands. He sat up and immediately wished he hadn't. Pain, raw and fierce, exploded in his head, immediately blurring his vision. He groaned as it continued unabated, threatening to knock him out like a light.

Thankfully, not moving seemed to be the key and the pounding gradually dissipated, allowing him to think again. His hands and arms weren't bound or restrained, but he assumed his captors had plenty of ways of keeping him restrained if need be. Large, burly henchmen seemed to be par for the course whenever he was captured.

At moment, he could care less what was going to happen to him. His team was safe, or at least he assumed so because he knew they'd made it to the gate. He was fairly certain they'd torture him in some form, but he'd long ago learned to distance himself from it. After they'd either gotten what they wanted or gotten bored with him, they'd put a bullet in his skull, end of story. Not exactly a rosy thought.

He took a deep breath, savoring the peace, going through the mental exercises Teyla had taught him a long time ago before they'd started sparring on a regular basis. He'd never paid to much attention, but now they all seemed to come up from his subconscious. At least she'd gotten out okay, that was enough.

Sure enough, one of the walls slid away and three people stepped in. The one in the center looked important, with various medals on his uniform. John couldn't even guess the language. The two flanking him were the burly henchmen he'd come to associate with the usual bad guy routine.

"I'd stand but my head hurts right now." John said sarcastically.

The man in the center wasted no time, and didn't pay John's sarcasm any heed. "I am Orin, deputy first minister of the Telvass Empire."

"Not a pleasure to meet you." John snapped back, sarcasm laced in his voice.

"Do you know what the punishment for spies is under our laws?"

"Well, I'm not a spy, nor do I care." John idly felt along his head wound, which was mercifully not swollen, but sore.

Orin raised an eyebrow at John's open sarcasm. "First we get all we need from your mind, then we kill you. I can assure you the first is very draw out and painful."

John yawed visibly. "Sorry, didn't catch that."

Orin wasn't fazed. "You'll see." He stood up, motioning to his henchmen. "In time, you'll tell us everything."

John mentally cataloged the man's weaknesses as he left. Orin was overweight slightly, which meant John could probably outrun him, the two henchmen would be a problem, all muscle, and very large rifles in their hands. With any luck, he'd be able to not tell them anything, and hopefully they'd kill him quickly. At least then, he wouldn't have to put up with Orin's smug demeanor.

He rolled his head from side to side. Mercifully, he felt only a time bit of pain from it. That was enough. He now knew he could at least resist, or if they made a massive mistake, run for it. The guards had pistols too, if he could get his hands on one of them, he would at least have a fighting chance.

XXX

Well, they let him sit there for over an hour, or at least that what he thought it was. His watch had been taken, along with all his gear. Hell, they hadn't even left his belt. Not that he needed it. The pants were the perfect fit as was true of most military issue gear.

He'd managed to even achieve a kinda mental state of sleep yet he was still fully alert. Having all that time to just sit in silence allowed his mind to wander. He'd remembered things. Lots of them. The one he kept thinking about was the first moment he'd met Teyla, second only to shooting Sumner. He didn't know why that memory kept playing itself over and over, but it did.

The door opened and Orin stepped into the cell again. His henchmen were in their usual spots. He stood to face him. Orin met his gaze evenly. If this was the worst they could throw at him, then they were not going to get anything. He knew it wasn't the case, but a small part of him was hoping that these guy's were stupid.

The two henchmen walked closer. John took a split second glance at the nearest pistol on the guard. It was in an open holster, making it assessable. He met Orin's gaze one last time, smirking slightly as his plan came to fruition.

He made his move, elbowing Orin and knocking him backwards. In the next instant he reached for the guard's pistol. It entered his hand and as he brought it up he fired, or tried to. The gun coughed and refused to fire. It was then that he felt the other guard grab his gun arm, wrenching it around at an awkward angle.

The pain exploded in his shoulder joint, causing him to grit his teeth. Orin was picking himself off the floor. He dusted himself off and came to stand right next to John, who was pinned by both guards. He pulled a needle from his pocket, inside was a clear liquid of some sort.

There wasn't much he could do, pain making thinking difficult. Orin wasn't gentle in shoving the thing into to back of his neck. John spit in response. It was then that he noticed he was losing feeling in his arms and his legs. The pain disappeared, but his arms were still held at the same angle, and he couldn't even struggle.

"Bring him." Orin ordered.

John wasn't even blessed with regaining consciousness. Whatever that liquid had been, it had completely immobilized him below the neck. Now he knew what it felt like to be paralyzed. He immediately knew that he wasn't prepared for what would happen next.

They dragged him into a well lit room. Control panels lined the walls, but they were all unoccupied. No one would witness what would happen here. He'd yet to see any trace of natural light, so he assumed he was underground. Another negative for a rescue team finding him, if one was sent at all.

The two guards dumped him in a chair. They strapped his head down so he couldn't even move his neck. From there, they attached all kinds of sensors and wires to his head. Physical torture he could handle, he had a feeling this was about to get far worse.

Orin sat down at the controls and pressed a single button. Pain exploded into his head. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, being careful not to chew on his lip. He was facing a blinding white light in his skull. His eyes refused to focus, further reinforcing the belief of blinding white light.

Hell, they hadn't even asked him any questions yet. It was the opening round, a taste of what they could do. John didn't even notice when he finally blacked out from the pain, but welcomed oblivion.

_Or not. He found himself standing in the Atlantis gate room. It was devoid of life, except for a smug looking man. John vaguely recognized him as Orin, but this Orin was in shape and didn't have the usual medals and what not. He also carried a sword on his belt._

_"So, it's just you and me." John said, falling into a combat stance without so much as a knife to protect himself._

_Orin laughed. "You have no idea. Physical torture will not give you anything, but with your mind forced open, we have better means at our disposal."_

_"I'm going to kick your ass." John said, closing the distance. Or at least trying to. Every step he took didn't seem to get him anywhere. He finally stopped, glaring at Orin._

_Orin turned, drawing the sword. "The mind is an interesting thing."_

_The gate room vanished and John suddenly felt himself living a memory. His mutated hand wrapped around Elizabeth's neck._

_"I won't send another team!" She yelled._

_His mind rebelled against the growing feeling of helplessness in watching himself strangle her. He dropped her, then rammed his hand to her chest. That was when he realized he was feeding on her, and he couldn't stop himself._

_Her body withered and slowly turned to bones and dust. The whole scene vanished as he found himself back in the gate room, shaking visibly from the excursion. He vomited on the ground, emptying whatever his imaginary stomach had set fit to give him._

_Orin stood their smug, but this time he wasn't alone. Restrained and held against his chest was Teyla. John didn't dare move, but every instinct in his body rebelled, telling him to go and save her. Orin's sword was carefully drawn__ across her neck._

_John slowly relaxed his fists. "What do you want?"_

_"The codes to get into your city."_

_He chewed his lip, none of this was real. It didn't make the feeling of helplessness go away. He took a breath. "Never going to tell you."_

_In one fluid motion Orin sliced Teyla's stomach open and sent her flying into his arms. He instinctively laid her on the ground and desperately tried to stanch the bleeding. It was futile, her blood seeping onto the floor. John screamed her name as her eyes closed. He screamed her name until his throat was raw. For the moment, everything was too real._


	2. Alone, or Not?

"We need to do something." Rodney said, pacing back and forth, his mind abuzz with thousands of calculations. All useless in the light of John Sheppard being possibly captured or killed. But he owed it to him to try and rescue him, he didn't have a clue how Teyla would react when she regained consciousness.

"Sit down McKay." Ronon replied, indicating the chair across from him in the mess hall.

Rodney glared at him before grumbling and sitting down. Their weapons had been stored in the armory. Elizabeth had made a point of sending the Daedalus to try and extract him, since the gate was now guarded. Rodney and Ronon had gone to the near empty mess hall to collect their thoughts. Ronon was calmly thinking of solutions. Rodney's mind had already calculated the worst case scenarios, being the eternal pessimist he was.

The worst was that the Daedalus would encounter some sort of resistance in orbit of the planet that would force them to leave before beaming Colonel Sheppard out. The second worst would be that he was already dead and the Daedalus would find nothing. His mind was already abuzz with more possibilities, but they all varied on the central theme.

Rodney chowed through a power bar. He always calmed down when he ate something. Something about hypoglycemic reactions, but he honestly didn't care right now, he just had to eat something. He still hadn't noticed the burning in his legs, the unfortunate result of running for so long when you were horribly out of shape.

"What do you suggest Conan?" Rodney quipped, lacing his voice with the full force of his sarcastic personality.

"We wait." Ronon replied, ignoring the name calling. "After the Daedalus gets back, then we can decide what to do."

"What if they can't get him?" Rodney snapped. "What if he's already dead? How would that make you feel?"

"You think like that, you're damning him." Ronon's voice was low. Anyone who knew him could tell that he was rapidly losing him temper. Though you couldn't tell that from the outside.

"Great, I don't need a rephrasing of Murphy's law." Rodney snapped his fingers impatiently. "But if you've got better advice, I'm open to it."

"If it distracts you, ignore it. If it fuels the anger, use it. I told Teyla the same thing."

"In case you haven't noticed I tend to make rash and stupid decisions when I'm angry, such as letting Colonel Sheppard stay behind!" Rodney finished with a yell.

"He gave us our orders." Ronon's voice was dangerously low, and Rodney had yet to notice his hand going for the knife on his belt.

Fortunately, Rodney finally ran out of steam. He slouched in his chair, looking defeated. "The thing is, he's the only one here I can reasonably call my friend." Rodney shook his head and looked out to the ocean. "And why the hell am I telling you this?" Some of the usual sarcasm had returned.

Ronon relaxed, his hand coming back to rest by the other on the table. "Because he's my friend too. I owe him trust, something I'll have to work towards for the rest of my life."

"I just want to be doing something." Rodney gestured back towards the city. "Normally I'm not the get up and go type of person, but I have to..." Rodney trailed off. "Not like I could do anything anyway."

"We can go check on Teyla."

Rodney withdrew into himself for a minute. In all his haste, he'd forgotten about the Athosian. He could call her his friend too, she'd never taken to insulting him. Hell, she'd even put up with his antics and constant petty arguing. He nodded to Ronon, and followed him to the infirmary.

XXX

Carson glanced over at the scanner reading once again, just to be sure. After bandaging Teyla's wound they'd placed her under the scanner to make sure they hadn't missed anything. The bullet had completely missed anything important. It had missed the gall bladder, the spleen, everything and gone clean through, which was a major plus for her recovery.

Teyla had been lucky, there was no doubt about that. No internal bleeding, no organ damage. She'd be on her feet by the end of the day, but knowing the tough Athosian, it'd be earlier. He returned from the lab to the main area and nodded to the nurse monitoring Teyla.

"Any change in her condition?" Carson asked, glancing over the monitors.

"Nothing." The nurse replied. "Her heart rate is steady, blood pressure is constant, and the recent test from the lab shows no infection in her wound. Just to be sure I gave her some antibiotics."

"Always a good precaution." Carson placed his hand on Teyla's forehead. It was warm to the touch. He quickly took her temperature. She was slightly warm, but that was normal for her. He glanced down at the bandaged wound and then he noticed the one thing abnormal. Her hands were twitching.

"Kelly." He said, catching the nurse's attention. "Have her hands been twitching the whole time?"

Kelly glanced down. "Oh my god, I never noticed."

"Right, let's take a look at brain activity." They'd recently found an ancient device that could quickly and easily measure brain wave patterns. As soon as he saw the readings, he knew something was wrong.

Normally when a person was sedated, their mind was in a resting state. Teyla's was showing more activity in her subconscious than those seen during REM sleep or even when she had been connecting telepathically with the Wraith.

He tapped his radio ear piece. "Doctor Weir, I need to see you immediately."

"What's wrong?" Her voice was distorted over the radio, but she always seemed to grow concerned when he called her down to the infirmary like that.

"It's easier to explain to you in person."  
"I'll be down in a minute."

XXX

_When the first tear fell he finally realized just how much it hurt. It also brought him back to reality. Teyla was safe in Atlantis, as were Ronon, Rodney, Elizabeth, and everyone else. He was here by himself. He had to face this hell alone._

_Orin was grinning smugly as John rose to his feet, fighting to purge the picture perfect memory of Teyla's bleeding stomach. He forced himself to concentrate, remember the facts. It wasn't long before the world faded once again. He clenched his fists and waited for the next horrible image._

_He found himself on the Hive Ship were they'd been captured only months earlier. Something was different though. The two Wraith escorted him back to the cell and he was greeted with a gruesome site. Ford was clenching a piece of the wall with a vice grip, his hands white from the strain._

_Ford's Lieutenant was withering on the floor in agony. Both Ronon and Teyla were shaking uncontrollably. Ignoring Ford he immediately went to Teyla and Ronon, not being able to just watch them suffer. They were both sitting down on the bench, gripping the edge of it, tremors visible in their bodies from the enzyme withdrawal._

_"You two okay?" John asked._

_"No, we are not." Teyla replied, carefully saying each word, her voice uneven and shaky._

_"Hold in there." He replied._

_It was then that Ronon collapsed onto the floor in a complete loss of control. The big runner groaned in pain as the enzyme slowly left his body. Suddenly, he stopped moving. John pushed Ronon onto his back and felt for a pulse. "Come on buddy, stay with me."_

_It was a futile endeavor. He didn't have time to even wait as Ford and his Lieutenant collapsed too, groaning in pain. John darted to Ford's side, placing a hand on his forehead. "Hang on Lieutenant."_

_Ford and his Lieutenant didn't last long either. A quick check confirmed they were dead also. He glanced at Teyla, still shaking. He couldn't do anything for anyone but her anymore. He wanted to scream, but it wouldn't do any good. Teyla was flinching at every sound, if he screamed she'd probably lose. That wasn't something he could do._

_A single Wraith in a black trench coat appeared at the door. John narrowed his gaze. "What the hell do you want?"_

_"You will tell us everything." The wraith hissed. _

_John swore the Wraith sounded like Orin. It only made him angrier. He stalked across the cell towards the door. "I'll never tell you anything."  
As if on cue Teyla collapsed with a gasp. "John," her voice was barely a whisper._

_He forgot the wraith and came to her side. "Fight it Teyla, don't you leave too!" _

_If she had a reply he didn't hear it as he was throw rudely across the cell by the Wraith. His head slammed into the wall. Stars exploded in his vision, clouding it and almost __making it impossible to focus. __He watched as the Wraith made Teyla's last moments even worse._

_The Wraith's hand raised and, even as John struggled to get up, plunged into her chest. She screamed as the wraith fed. John screamed in response and managed to leap across the cell. The wraith sidestepped and stood back up, leaving the distinct feeding mark on Teyla's upper body._

_To make matters worse, when he looked down at his hands, they were long and slender... and they were wraith. John felt his stomach rebel against him again and he emptied again, his throat burning from the excursion._

_The gate room returned, with a smug Orin and a nice line of his friends, all tied and gagged. Orin's sword rested on Rodney's neck. John forced himself to stand. He couldn't give in, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could last._

XXX

Elizabeth entered the infirmary at an accelerated pace, arriving on seconds before Ronon and Rodney. She took a deep breath as she approached Carson, knowing that he had bad news. For his part, he was standing over Teyla taking readings and recording them onto a PDA.

"What is it Carson?"

"It's Teyla's brain activity." Carson sighed, pointing to the device that was monitoring it. "See, there's another spike." The device beeped as if on command. "On top of that, it's starting to have a physical effect." He point to Teyla hands, which were now clenched into fists. "She's not doing well at all."

"There's gotta be something you can do?" Rodney quipped. The scientist was edgy and agitated from the tone of his voice. "Isn't that what you do here?"

"I don't even know why her brain activity is so high. It's not natural."

"We should wake her." Elizabeth suggested.

"I wish I could, but it's up to her to wake up on her own." Carson sighed. "Giving her more drugs now would probably make her condition worse."

Elizabeth tapped her radio ear piece. "Weir to Heightmeyer, I'd like to see you in the infirmary."

"I'll be there in a minute." Kate's response was immediate and with a hint of concern.

The news of John's capture had slowly started to filter through the expedition. The majority of the military contingent owed their lives to him. Elizabeth knew the ramifications had yet to be felt. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long before Kate showed up.

"Kate, thanks for coming. Do you know what would be causing those readings?" Elizabeth pointed to the devices attached to Teyla.

Kate's eyes narrowed as she looked at the device. "That's not natural." She said, her voice betraying the confusion.

"We know that already, will you skip to the part where we can actually do something?" Rodney's voice was laced with sharp witted sarcasm.

"We have to wake her." Kate said after a moment.

"But that'll cause more harm than good."

"If we don't lower that brain activity reading, or find out what's causing it, Teyla's brain will simply shut down." Kate's voice was final.

"Do it Carson." Elizabeth said quietly, startling everyone. "We can't lose Teyla too."

Carson nodded and went to gather the necessary drugs from the storage cabinet.

XXX

_"Go to hell." John stated, facing Orin. He forced himself to keep a straight face. He couldn't betray the anger and the helplessness he was felling._

_Orin didn't seem fazed. "Your friends first." Orin raised the sword._

_John had been playing a mental game up until this point, trying to outlast the horrible images. The thought of watching Rodney's head roll down in front of him was too much. Keeping his intent masked under a constant babble about an ex-girlfriend he hid his next move._

_He made the distance between them evaporate as quickly as it had first materialized. He tried to land a blow on Orin. He hand passed through. John swore and went for the sword. Again, his fist passed right through._

_Orin laughed. "Fool, your mind is ours. Now tell me what I want."_

_"If it was yours__, you wouldn't need to ask me about it!" John snapped back, still trying to gain the leverage. He was running out of things to say about__ his ex-girlfriend in his head._

_So far Orin hadn't moved, now he did. With a single swipe, he severed Rodney's head. John swore aloud, the anger finally boiling over. He launched himself at Orin again, trying desperately to stop the madman from moving on to Ronon._

_This time, he was able to draw Orin's attention. But his attention was all he got. Orin side stepped and twirled the sword, taking Ronon's head off too. John forced back the tears... fighting to gain control. He couldn't take it._

_John sprinted in front of the kneeling Elizabeth, blocking Orin's path. "You've gotta go through me."_

_"That is where you are mistaken." Orin's smug grin intensified._

_John wasn't even certain what sent him flying, only that he was now lying on his back. He rolled his head to the right in time to see Elizabeth's decapitated too. Hell, her head rolled until it was right next to him. He vomited again, the tears falling with equal verbosity._

_Orin must've finally learned something from all this senseless violence. He paused before finishing what he'd started with Teyla. John forced himself to his feet, looking at the blood stained floor, then back up at Orin. He wouldn't beg, but he wasn't certain he could continue._

_"You care for this one..." Orin's face was almost obscured by the massive smile. It wasn't a happy one either. "... She's the reason you stayed behind... why your team escaped but you didn't."_

_"Fuck you." John replied._

_"You've given me all I need to break you." Orin laughed, evil and full._

_The world mercifully vanished, all the blood and more all leaving him alone. He was alone in the darkness. In the darkness, John Sheppard finally lost it, crying out loud._

XXX

_"Teyla!" John's voice screamed._

_Teyla snapped awake. She was lying__ in the middle of the Athosian village. The clouds glowed a faint maroon hue. It cast only a pale light on the dwellings. She looked around, there was no one here. That is until she felt the world shake and her mind exploded in pain._

_She doubled over, not being able to concentrate. Her mind rebelled against the unceasing onslaught, this wasn't her pain. It wasn't difficult for her to mute it. Her breathing was ragged and her head pounded, but she stood up and focused again._

_"TEYLA!" John's voice was more frantic, louder._

_The pain tripled, bringing Telya down to her knees again. She forced herself to her feet and set off towards the source of his voice. As she passed rows of the tents she glimpsed images just beyond her vision._

_"You're leader looks through me as if I am not there." Her own voice, just after she'd met Colonel Sumner, John, and Aiden._

_"Do I?" Such a simple question from John in return. He'd opened himself to her when he offered to partake of the Athosian tea. He'd entered her life, and from that moment on it had been different._

_Without him, she would've never been accepted into the expedition. She remembered the events surrounding her locket, how she'd been accused of being a Wraith spy. It hadn't been the first time either. Yet every time he'd been there for her, placing his trust in her. Now, she'd begun to repay that. Placing her trust in him for the experiment on Michael._

_If he hadn't asked, she never would've helped. She would've sooner placed a bullet in Michael's skull than try to convince him he was human. It wasn't cold, it was a fact. He was part of the race that had fed upon her father and mother. He was part of the race that had resulted in the harsh life all Athosians had lived._

_As she came back to reality she looked around again, she wasn't any closer to his voice. "Colonel Sheppard!" She called out into the darkened void._

_This time the pain was unbearable as she heard his voice again. She collapsed onto her back frantically trying to block the pain. All it did was get worse. She lay on her back, breathing heavily. The pain continued unabated, preventing her from doing anything more than moaning._

_Without a better option, she let her mental defenses fall. The pain vanished and she immediately understood. She saw John, crying just beyond her. Teyla stood up, and began to walk over to him. That was when the world vanished._

Teyla awoke to the stares Carson and Kate. She lurched up. "JOHN!" Her voice echoed throughout the infirmary.


	3. Everything I Need To Break You

The echo scared her, as did her own heart pounding. Teyla forced herself to breath. Yet for the life of her, she couldn't slow her own breathing. Her heart continued to pound as if it had a will of its own.

"Teyla, are you okay?" Elizabeth's voice cut through the fog surrounding her mind, bringing her back into the present.

Her body seemed to transition with her mind, slowly relaxing from whatever tension had caused every muscle in her body to ache with pain and bring her to the verge of a heart attack. She still felt lost.

"Where am I?" She asked, amazed at how breathless she sounded.

"You're in the infirmary." Kate's voice drew attention to the blond doctor. "Do you remember what happened?"

She glanced around, remembering the battle at the entrance to the cave. _Ronon and Rodney came running back. Even he looked tired from the hard running__ they'd been doing in the last few minutes._

_"There's another entrance on the other side of this cave." Rodney said between gasps._

_"No enemies." Ronon finished._

_"Good, here's the plan. Teyla goes..."_

_Teyla must've been distracted by him giving out orders because she didn't see the enemy that shot her. Ronon immediately took the enemy down, but Teyla was already clutching the side of her stomach. Her hand came back bloody._

She noted Ronon and Rodney were standing beside her. That allowed her to calm down, until she remembered that one person was missing. "Where is Colonel Sheppard?"

Elizabeth swallowed, nervously averting her eyes, but she answered the question. "Colonel Sheppard didn't make it back."

The statement shocked Teyla. He always made it back. Why would this time be any different? She forced herself to think, but for the life of her she couldn't.

"You were wounded." Ronon said gruffly. "Sheppard told me to take McKay and make for the gate. He wouldn't have it any other way."

Teyla tried to clear her head. All she could dig up were half, fuzzy memories of being carried by Ronon, but one memory stood out. The tactile feeling of his forehead to hers, something she knew purely by touch.

She knew the touch from their sparring sessions, from the times he brought her to the mainland, from the times he'd left her for a weekend on the mainland. It was a symbol of their friendship, a way of demonstrating it at all times. She wasn't afraid to show it.

Why she'd latched onto that memory, she didn't know. "I remember him placing his forehead to mine."

Rodney fidgeted nervously. "He did that right before he told Ronon and I to get the hell out of there.'"

"We barely made it to the gate in time." Ronon added. "If we hadn't left then, we would all have been captured."

"There was no way to..." Teyla trailed off, knowing the answer before it was given.

"No." Ronon confirmed unnecessarily.

She allowed her tense body to fully relax, breathing deeply as she did. Her hand went to the bandage. She remembered being shot: the feeling of shock. Why hadn't she stayed conscious longer? She had to attribute it to fatigue; they had been fighting for a long time.

Kate cleared her throat nervously. "Teyla, when you woke up you screamed Colonel Sheppard's name, do you know why?"

Teyla narrowed her gaze. All she remembered was waking to her whole body in overdrive. "I do not remember that."

"Are you sure?" Kate said gently.

Teyla found it hard to be mad at the doctor. "I am sure. Though of all my memories after being wounded I can only remember is his touch. The rest is difficult to remember."

"You were unconscious Teyla." Carson stated. He'd stayed quiet up until now. "I'm surprised you remember anything at all."

Kate shifted positions to stand next to the brain wave scanner. The scanner now read normal brain wave patterns, but she knew what it had been reading only moments before. "Teyla, do have a headache?"

Teyla fixed the doctor with a calm stare. "No, I feel tired, but I do not have a headache."

"I think you need some rest." Carson said. "I'll let Ronon and Rodney stay for a wee bit, but I want the rest of you to let her rest."

Teyla met Carson's gaze and silently thanked him for letting Ronon and Rodney stay for a bit, she needed the company. Her body had relaxed, but she could still feel the lingering affects of her rude awakening.

Elizabeth and Kate quietly left. Carson checked her IV. It was still securely in position. "Do you want a sedative Teyla?"

"No, not now." Teyla said. "I am fine."  
Carson nodded. "Five minutes." He said to Ronon and Rodney. "I'll be back to check on you then lass."

XXX

"It's back to normal." Kate said to Elizabeth as they stepped into the transporter.

"Why would that be?" Elizabeth asked, having noted the same thing.

"I don't know. I've never encountered anything like it." Kate pressed the button that would take them to the control room. "Whatever it was, it dissipated when we woke her up."

"Do you know why Teyla scream John's name?" Elizabeth stepped out of the transporter on onto the spiral staircase. "Or why she didn't remember it."

"It could just be shock." Kate replied. "She might have wanted to say his name before her subconscious mind finally took over when she became unconscious. I've heard of situations like that."  
"But why didn't she remember it?" Elizabeth pressed as she walked into her office, the door sliding open as she did.

"I don't have an answer. I know Colonel Sheppard and Teyla are very good friends, maybe she did it completely unconsciously." Kate shook her head. "To be honest, I don't have an answer. This is so far beyond anything I've ever seen before."

Elizabeth sat down and leaned back in her chair. "Do you think she'll just remember."

"It's possible." Kate admitted. "Hopefully in time Teyla will remember what happened, and then maybe all the pieces will fall into place."

One of the gate technicians stumbled into her office. "Doctor Weir, Colonel Caldwell is on subspace."

Elizabeth sat back up and walked into the control room, grabbing the open headset at the technician's station. "Colonel, please tell me you have good news."

Colonel Caldwell glanced down. Elizabeth immediately knew this wasn't going to be what she wanted to hear. After a moment he faced her. "We found the planet surrounded by some type of alien fleet. We tried to communicate, but they opened fire."

"Did you get Colonel Sheppard?" Elizabeth said, her voice betraying her concern and knowledge of what was going to happen.

"We tried to get close enough to beam him out, but we'd barely gone halfway before we had to turn around and enter hyperspace. As it is we suffered some serious damage. The Colonel's implant was still active, but we have no way of knowing whether he's alive or dead. He didn't reply to radio calls."

"You're positive?" Elizabeth asked.

"I had an officer trying to establish contact with him the entire time. No response." He leaned closer to the screen. "I'm sorry Doctor. The Daedalus should be back in Atlantis in twelve hours time. We'll need to dock to complete repairs."

"Of course." Elizabeth replied. She stifled a tear. "I'll have them ready for you. Atlantis out."  
"Daedalus out." Caldwell signed off, his image replaced by static.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, then headed back into her office. Kate was still sitting in the chair across from her desk, but Elizabeth knew she could see right through her. Elizabeth forced a smile.

"All bad news." Kate said quietly. It was a statement, not a question.

"They encountered an alien fleet and couldn't get John out." Elizabeth turned around. "God, how am I going to tell his team."

Kate didn't reply immediately. "I'd offer to tell them, but..." Kate shook her head. "...but that's your job. It'll mean more coming from you."

"I know." Elizabeth replied. "I don't know how Teyla's going to take it, or Ronon and Rodney for that matter."

"They will have to cope." Kate said, sounding unconvinced, but sincere. "It's a hard lesson, one they have to learn."

XXX

Teyla closed her eyes and lay back against the pillows. Ronon and Rodney had both left, as per Carson's instructions. She hadn't wanted them to leave, but Carson left no room for questions. That left her alone, but peacefully so.

She should have known something was wrong when Elizabeth walked in, her gait unsteady and tears hidden just behind her eyes. Maybe it was the mild sedative already in her body, but maybe it was just because she couldn't believe he wouldn't make it back.

Teyla dimly smiled at Elizabeth. "Doctor Weir, you have good news?"

Elizabeth glanced at her feet and then around the room, not being able to meet Teyla's gaze. "We just received word from the Daedalus..." She trailed off, not being able to continue, knowing that Teyla caught the meaning.

"They encountered resistance?" Teyla asked, her voice quiet, calm. It hid her true feelings, raging emotions that threatened to break loose. Anger, fear, all mixed together into one big feeling of dread buried deep in her heart.

"A space fleet of some kind. They couldn't get close enough." Elizabeth said quietly "They also weren't able to reach him on the radio." Elizabeth brushed away a tear.

Teyla calmly met Elizabeth's gaze. Her face had drained of expression. "There must be another way." Teyla's voice was rich with determination.

Elizabeth turned away, not wanting Teyla to see her cry. "I'm sorry Teyla. I just don't know if there is a..."

"There is always a way." Teyla replied coldly, calmly, rationally. She knew risks had to be taken, but she'd gladly take them.

XXX

_By the time he finally regained control, John couldn't believe it was over, even temporarily. He could feel his heart still pounding from the visions. He silently wished for a cardiac arrest, just to end the pain, just to end the memories burned into his mind._

_In the empty black void he was mercilessly alone, able to cry quietly to himself. His mind was exhausted from watching his friends suffer. He kept trying to tell himself it wasn't real, but his soul refused to accept it._

_He could already feel his cheeks wet from the repeated images of his friends dying, sometimes by his own hand, sometimes by Orin's, sometimes for other reasons. It was gnawing at him, threatening to burn through the thin line that was protecting him, preventing him from completely losing it. It was preventing him from telling Orin everything, just so the pain would stop and he'd be allowed to die._

_Of course he knew that wouldn't be the end. Orin wouldn't just let him die. If he still had control over his own body, he would've killed himself awhile ago. He didn't even know how long he'd been like this. After the first piece of information was given, the cycle would start all over again._

_He lay on his back, his body spread across nothing like it was a floor. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears. He kept telling himself that his team wouldn't give up on him. He knew they wouldn't. He knew Elizabeth wouldn't without a really good reason._

_An enemy army could very likely be that reason. He groaned. His team wouldn't abandon him, but there would be nothing they could do. He moaned, realizing how much it would hurt them, realizing how much it would hurt him. He had to let them go, so that Orin could get nothing from them._

_He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He muttered, just as the world began to reform around him._

XXX

A feeling seemed to imprint itself on Teyla. She felt remorse; yet it wasn't hers. The infirmary was quiet, calm, yet Teyla felt the sudden urge to leave. She didn't want to be here, where the lights were shining brightly. She wanted to mourn in private.

Carson had removed the IV line an hour ago, telling her to rest. She'd tried, yet she couldn't seem to get John out of her mind. She felt cold inside, knowing there was nothing being done for him. Knowing that he was dead or captured hurt her even more.

Hospital scrubs were plain, but enough. Thankfully, she'd gotten the shirt and pants. She cast one look to Carson's office, before sliding off the bed and onto her feet. Pain shot up her side for a split second, then vanished. She breathed deeply, then walked right out of the infirmary.

In hindsight, Carson would be angry that she'd left, but she felt an overwhelming urge to leave, to be alone where she could think. The halls were mercifully deserted, at least, the path she was taking was.

It was a seldom used path, which winded along the outside ring of the central tower. It required the use of stairs to get up it, which most expedition members avoided, preferring the transporters. Teyla enjoyed just walking, occasionally looking out onto the sea from one of the panoramic windows along the walls.

She finally emerged in the living quarters section. Right on the edge, the farthest from the gate room, was her room. Just down the hall, was John's. She paused briefly at her room, she knew that'd be the first place they'd look for her.

She glanced down the hall, then turned and walked towards John's room. Maybe something there would bring her comfort. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been in there. One night he'd been explaining the guitar he'd had brought in with the Daedalus. Another night she'd just wanted someone to talk to.

Ronon was waiting for her, leaning against the door as she came around the corner. "Beckett's looking for you."

"Ronon please, I just need a few minutes." Teyla's voice was laced with frustration and despair.

Ronon nodded. "Do what you need to. I'll keep Beckett away until you do." He stopped leaning on the door frame.

"Thank you Ronon."

Teyla stepped forward and keyed the door. It opened on command, revealing the interior she knew so well. She crossed the threshold of the door and it closed behind her. She'd never been in his room without him. The silence was unnerving.

She slowly walked around the edge of the room, her hand drifting along the top of the shelf that lined the wall. Her hand stopped on the football he kept in his room. It's worn texture immediately reminded her of the time he spent on the mainland with the Athosian kids, teaching them football. Jinto had finally made a football of his own a few months ago.

She moved on, letting her hand slide onto the guitar. It made her smile as she remembered him showing her his 'hobby.' She smiled, remembering that it hadn't sounded like music, or anything she had ever heard before.

_"You're trying to get into my mind." Bob said from inside the cell._

_Immediately John tensed, knowing what was happening. His hand drifted closer and closer to his gun. Then Teyla clutched her head in pain, collapsing to the floor. He opened the cell and started firing._

_Bob seemed unaffected, stepping forward, pushing John out of the way and onto the floor. John rolled over, realizing that the guards where no longer present, nor was Ford. Teyla was shaking on the floor, her whole body convulsing in agony as Bob approached._

_"Leave her alone!" John yelled._

A voice echoed in Teyla's skull, making it hard to focus. Then it disappeared, as soon as it had begun. She glanced over at the nightstand next to his bed. On it rested, War and Peace. John had explained the concept of the book to her, but admitted to only reading about ten pages so far.

_John shoved Bob aside, trying to get him away from Teyla. His gun was missing now, so it was just him. "Get out of her mind!" He yelled, emphasizing it with a roundhouse kick to Bob's stomach._

Again, the voice, this time louder, enough for her to realize it was John's. She shook her head, hoping to clear it. She knew she couldn't connect with him, but she had never heard voices before. The only other time she'd heard voices was when the Wraith were connecting with her, but she knew there were none.

There was none of the usual cold feeling that accompanied their presence. Even though she'd long ago learned to coup with that, she still knew the feeling. This feeling made her sick, it wasn't of malice, but of pure unbridled anguish.

_John never saw Orin come up behind him and grab him, pinning him in position with the sword drawn around his neck. John struggled as Bob stood back up, standing over Teyla. Bob knelt down, placing one hand firmly around her throat, the other coming back for the inevitable feeding. John screamed and intensified his struggling, not caring if he took his own head off._

The wave hit her with the force of a stunner, knocking her down to her knees. "John." She gasped.

_Then Bob's hand descended roughly into her chest, complete with the sick noise of life being drained from her._

The second wave knocked her completely to the ground.

_"Just tell me what I want!" Orin said calmly, almost mockingly._

"Don't." Teyla said quietly, not knowing why.

_"We both know you wouldn't stop." John said, as the wraith vanished._

_"Then watch her die." Orin smiled, then vanished._

The blind wave of agony sent her straight into darkness.


	4. Connection

_The first thing Teyla realized was the cold. All around her was a frozen wasteland. She was standing at a gate. Two guards, dressed in fatigues stood at attention, sheltered in a deep shadow. All she could hear was the quiet rustle of the wind._

_A large dome was visible in the distance, almost obscured by the roaring snowstorm. She'd only ever heard of snow from various members of the expedition. Athos had been temperate, never really warm, but never cold._

_It was then that she remembered what she was seeing. There had been a picture of it in Elizabeth's office. When Teyla had asked about it Elizabeth had told her how the expedition had been formed, and how they'd found the location to Pegasus in a place called Antarctica. John had told her more about this place. It had been his escape from all the politics of his black mark in Afghanistan. He'd never told her specifically about that incident. _

_The storm seemed to worsen, buffeting her. She took a deep breath, focusing beyond the numbing cold. The wind seemed to almost caress her, warping around her slowly. Her freezing limbs felt warmer without the wind. She didn't understand why she'd be here, this was a memory from just about any member of the original expedition, but she had never been to Earth, much less Antarctica._

_A flash penetrated the darkness, coming from the dome. She turned and began trudging towards it, not knowing what else to do. A new wave of icy wind washed over her, this time hitting her directly, trying to push her back. At the same time another gust of wind seemed to propel her forward. She collapsed into the snow, stopping to try and avoid the wind. As long as she wasn't moving, the air seemed to embrace her, not feeling harsh. Another flash, this time brighter. Teyla had to keep moving..._

Teyla didn't scream, at least Ronon had only heard her scream once. That instance was now. He opened the door to John's quarters while signaling Carson. He wasn't expecting Teyla to be lying on the floor, unconscious. He felt for a pulse.

Her pulse was frantic. He rolled her over, being careful to set her straight on her back. He shook her, trying to gently rouse her from her unconscious state. She bolted upright, startling him. "JOHN!"

He placed both hands on her shoulders. "Teyla, what happened?"

Teyla's eyes became fuzzy, not focused. Then she went limp again. Ronon gently laid her back. It worried him more than he would ever let on. Teyla was the strongest person he'd ever met, stronger than any of his Satedan comrades, stronger than the Wraith.

Thankfully, Carson came quickly, a team of medics and marines with him. "What the bloody hell happened?" Carson said, immediately feeling for a pulse like Ronon had.

"She screamed." Ronon said briskly. "I entered Sheppard's quarters and found her unconscious. I shook her to try and wake her." He shook his head. "She sat up... yelled Sheppard's name... then she was unconscious again."

Carson and the medics placed Teyla on the stretcher and wheeled her out of the room. Ronon followed just behind. They were all speaking medical parlance, a language Ronon didn't even claim to understand. He wasn't going to leave Teyla alone though.

_At the top of the large dome, a brilliant light flashed again. Teyla struggled forward, the wind trying to block her path, the ground cold to her booted feet. Every step, another thrash of the harsh wind. Every breath, another staggering blow of cold air to her lungs._

_"Teyla?" A voice whispered, part of the wind. The voice was familiar... it took her a moment to place it, then she gasped. She sat down and concentrated, reaching out with her mind. Suddenly, an explosions of senses assaulted her, someone else's pain, a desperate defense of a mind._

_Despair. Anguish over loss. Death. Teyla inhaled sharply as more and more of the pain became known to her, yet it wasn't hers. She couldn't feel it. Yet at the same time she was aware of it. The wind seemed to arc around her._

_Teyla climbed to her feet, the wind shifting to avoid her. She could pass. Taking a deep breath, Teyla advanced on the glass dome. The wind didn't impede her progress, but the world seemed to grow colder._

_She reached out again... searching for the source of the cold. She felt malice, hatred, sickened delight. Then it all vanished. She tentatively reached out again... towards the wind. It's source was at the top of the dome, it knew she was coming._

_Both comforted and scared by it at the same time, Teyla began climbing the slippery material. She wished she had her knife to cut hand holds in the ice, as it was there were only a few. She slipped and was shocked as the wind rushed to hold her in a tempest of air, a gentle embrace that prevented her from falling._

Impatiently waiting at the entrance to the infirmary was Rodney. He snapped his fingers impetuously. "Okay... mind telling me what the hell happened?"

"Found her in Sheppard's quarters." Ronon said briskly, not pausing but walking into the infirmary.

"Hey... she's my friend too." Rodney said quickly, running to catch up to Ronon's long stride.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have any friends McKay." Ronon replied with a slight smirk.

"At least you only wonder, it's a common fact that you don't have any Conan."

Ronon turned to Rodney. "Who's this Conan you keep referring to?"

Rodney squirmed. "Do I have to answer it?"

"Not right now. Teyla's more important." Ronon turned his attention back to Carson, who was just coming out from next to Teyla's bed.

"Aye... she's back how she was. High brain activity, yet she's unconscious."

"Well... what are we supposed to do then?" Rodney asked impatiently.

"Nothing." Carson replied. "We wait. I'm gonna call Kate down, but she won't be able to do anything either."

_"Teyla." The wind whispered again. Slowly she was brought up to the top of the dome. Sitting there, alone in the swirling vortex was John. He didn't move as she approached, didn't flinch. He sat alone in the eye of the storm. The cold was the worst here._

_"John?" Teyla asked quietly._

_His eyes snapped open, focusing on her. "Teyla."_

_His voice echoed in her skull, his mouth not moving. She shook her head. "Is it really you?"_

_"I could ask you the same question."_

_"Colonel... how is this possible?"_

_"If you're Orin you'd already know but you'd ask the question to screw with my mind. If you're really Teyla, you'd ask the same question..." John seemed to consider his options, glancing off into the darkness. "In the end it won't hurt either way." He turned his focus back to her. "I was captured and hooked up to some infernal machine that's being used to torture me."_

_"Exactly." Orin said, coming out of the darkness, his sword already draw._

_A blast of the wind sent Teyla flying backwards, away from the two. John stood up, directing more of the wind against Orin. Orin stepped forward slowly, Teyla could see, even from the distance, he wasn't being affected by John._

_As Orin got closer and closer John stopped trying. The winds began to die down, dissipating. Leaving only the chill to permeate the world. Teyla felt her muscles freeze up as the cold became worse and wore, leaving her shivering beyond her control._

_John seemed unaffected, a look of defiance still on his face. "Not this time Orin."_

_Pain and sorrow washed over Teyla as images played out before her... images of what John had seen. Images of every hurt he'd ever suffered, they extended far longer than he'd been captured, far longer than he'd been on Atlantis. She tried to stand up, fighting to keep her muscles moving and warm, even though the cold made them ache from the effort._

_Physical pain didn't hurt her. She knew she wasn't alone. Somehow, she was connected with John Sheppard._

"Doctor." One of the nurses yelled.

Carson spun around, turning away from Rodney and Ronon and towards the blinking light on the computer Teyla was hooked up to. "Bloody hell." Carson swore, running to Teyla's side. "Her temperature is dropping. Get me some thermal blankets."

Teyla's heart rate was slowing with the drop in body temperature. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He pulled up the covers already on the bed, covering her completely. He then added the thermal blanket once the nurse got back.

Still Teyla's temperature and heartbeat kept decreasing. "Get the paddles ready. Ronon, Rodney, hug her."

Rodney gave Carson a look of shock. "What?"

"Just do it you daft bugger. Body heat should help. So don't let go." Carson shoved Rodney towards Teyla as he grabbed a needle from the table. He inserted it into her IV.

Ronon for his part hadn't hesitated, even though she was laying down he pressed his body to hers through the blankets, Rodney followed suit, still confused.

_"Summoning imaginary friends will not help you Sheppard." Orin said, running a finger along his sword, seemingly unaffected by the cold._

_"They'll come for me." John's voice was hollow, as if he didn't believe what he was saying._

_"You're friends will never find you." Orin replied._

_"Teyla will. I know she will." John said with renewed determination._

_"John... I am here!" Teyla shouted. Her voice seemed to vanish in the growing tempest._

_The wind whipped up, roaring in ferocity. It ignored her and swirled around John. The air around Orin seemed to darken, as if the air itself was turning to frozen particles. Teyla got to her feet, fighting past the cold as she tried to get back to John and Orin._

_The two figures glared at each other, each summoning a greater and increasingly greater storm. The wind stopped ignoring Teyla, nearly blowing her over as it whirled around John. The cold made the roof of the dome next to impossible to walk on, her boots felt like icicles on her feet. Her fingers couldn't move._

_She was a few steps from them when she collapsed._

Teyla's heart monitor went flat, the machine let out a piercing screech. Carson swore again, this time particularly vulgar. "Get the blankets off her!"

He glanced at the nurse. "Charge the paddles to 200."

There was a brief whine as it charged up. Just enough time for Ronon and Rodney to throw the blankets to the floor. He pressed them to Teyla's chest. Teyla's whole body jumped. Immediately after her heart rate stabilized, and slowly her temperature began to rise. Her brain activity decreased to a normal level.

Carson heaved a sigh of relief. He hoped she'd regain consciousness soon.

XXX

Rodney tried to concentrate on his work. Of course, work entailed writing up a report on the previous mission. With the Colonel missing, presumed dead, until further notice, it was up to him to write the report. Ronon didn't write in English and he'd only briefly used a computer. Teyla was out of the question.

Try as he might, he just couldn't concentrate, he was too worried about Teyla. If Laura Cadman was there, she would have a field day teasing Rodney about it. Mercifully, she wasn't. So he could have the time alone, to just try and forget about losing his best friend.

He'd never really had too many friends before. So he cherished those he had, even though he might not outwardly admit it. He finished writing the part up until they'd reach the gate. Which was all he really had to write. Running the spell check, he realized just how pitiful it was. Not that it really mattered.

Rodney sent it to Elizabeth's email. They'd set up a city wide email system, mainly for memos, notes, etc. Sadly, the Ancients hadn't ever invented the Internet. He stood up, heading for the mess hall. Of course it was just his luck he ran into Cadman on the way.

"Hey Rodney." She said, jogging for a second to catch up with him. "Still down about Colonel Sheppard?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Rodney replied.

"I just thought you would've thought up some crazy scheme to rescue him already." Laura was teasing him, but the comment stung Rodney.

"Don't go there." He said quickly, grabbing a power bar from the set out food.

"You know, you're the only one I know who still eats those things all the time." Laura grabbed a lunch tray, with some kind of bird from the mainland, cooked up Athosian style. "Don't you get sick of them?"

"No. They have everything I need and are chemically tested to not affect my allergies." Rodney sat down at one of the tables overlooking the ocean.

"That's not what I asked." Laura said, sitting down across from him. "Don't you get sick of them? They don't taste like anything."

"What does taste have to do with it?" Rodney replied, taking a bite from his power bar.

"Everything duh!" Laura gave Rodney a look of incredibility. "Why would you eat something every day that has no taste when you can eat something like this delicious... bird of... some... sort."

Think about the cooked bird on Laura's plate brought up his sorrow over Teyla's condition, which lead directly to him being angry at John for staying behind. Rodney shook his head to clear it. Images kept flying across his vision. He crunched the power bar into a ball and threw it over the edge.

He glanced up at Laura. "Sure, why not? The worse that can happen is that I can have a hypoglycemic reaction."

"That's the spirit." Laura said. "Once you get something decent in your stomach then you can think up how to bypass the ships and the guards around that planet and rescue Colonel Sheppard."

For once, Rodney didn't disagree. Maybe it would help.

XXX

_Teyla opened her eyes and was staring at a clear sky. The air was still cold, but nowhere near the freezing depths she'd previously encountered in this dreamscape. The wind had stopped, and the sun was visible on the horizon._

_She glanced around and saw John sitting on the roof of the dome. He was relaxed, all the visible tension seemingly drained from his face. There was no sign of Orin. All she could sense were the feelings of peace, a quiet contentment, a feeling of victory._

_"John." She said quietly._

_"Teyla." His voice gently washed over her mind._

_"Is it really you?" She asked tentatively._

_"Yes, and I know that's really you." John's voice was soft, a warm breeze accompanying it to her, warming her cold skin._

_"How?"_

_"I don't really understand it, but welcome to what had been my torture place, up until I managed to knock him out of my mind." John smiled._

_"Who?" Teyla asked, her mind was racing to conclusions of what he had been through. John had taught her how to distance herself from physical torture... but he had never had any training to defend his mind._

_"Some guy named Orin. He's some big wig for the Telvass Empire, apparently the people we pissed off."_

_"They were the soldiers who attacked us?" Teyla asked._

_"The soldiers were members of the Telvass Empire, I'd guess some form of army."_

_"How have they been..." Her voice trailed off._

_"Through my mind. I watch those I care for die over and over again." A single tear ran down John's cheek. "You made it right?"_

_"I am safe in Atlantis, as are Dr. McKay and Ronon."_

_John's eyes closed, and he smiled slightly. "Thank you Teyla."_

_"We will rescue you John. I promise. No matter what it takes." Teyla had her mind made up. She would accept no other outcome._

_"Teyla... this guy... he can get in my mind. Can you help me keep him out?" John swallowed visibly. "I can't watch you die again."_

_Teyla scooted closer to him, sitting up in the process. "John... wherever we go from here, you will never be alone again." She offered her hand._

_John seemed to consider it, then took her hand. The world vanished for Teyla, but she could still hear John in the back of her mind..._

_A/N: WHEW! Talk about an awe moment._


	5. Worst Nightmare

Rodney frowned at the display in front of him. He was looking at a chemical substance, one he could probably make, given enough time. Of course, the first course of action would be obtaining the actual chemicals necessary to make it. From there he'd need some equipment, a demolitions expert, and a side kick.

He already had both. Laura Cadman and Radek Zelenka were looking over his shoulder at the laptop model of the molecule. He grinned at his own genius, pushing them away as he turned around, surveying the shelves around him.

"Cadman... your job is to try and figure out how to make this into a wide array weapon, preferably so we can walked through the gate with gas masks." Rodney was all business.

Laura of course wasn't going to go about stealing the supplies from the armory without making sure Rodney knew a thing or two about chemical warfare. "For me to do that Rodney... I need the chemical to be heavier than air. It also needs to be compressible."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Rodney snapped. "To make this into a viable grenade... OF COURSE WE DO." He turned back to the laptop. "The actual particle density should be just heavier than air, thus it will displace the air. It is also transparent and completely harmless... or at least it should be."

"Chemical warfare was banned for reason Rodney." Radek said, his Czech accent present as always.

"Do you two want Colonel Sheppard back or not?" Rodney stood up. "I for one don't want Caldwell or any other snot nosed military punk running this expedition. I want Sheppard."

"I should be able to take apart a couple of detonators from the C4 stash..." Laura began. "... and make a casing for it... I'll also need to get permission to do this. Do we have Doctor Weir's approval?"

"Not at the moment. And I wouldn't ask her." At Radek and Laura's expressions he sighed. "Elizabeth would never approve the use of a chemical weapon. That, and Earth has already given her orders by now that Sheppard is MIA and we're not going to stage a rescue attempt. I'm not going to accept that, are you?" Rodney had to force himself to breath... his face red from his little speech.

"I'm game." Laura said, crossing her arms.

"If getting Sheppard back means no stupid military..." Radek launched into a flurry of Czech, "... then I help."

"Okay... Cadman... who would you need to convince?"

"Major Lorne." She replied, with a smug grin. "But that is easy. I'll have those parts by tonight... give me a few hours to assemble them... but I'd prefer to have the finished chemical before I go about this."

"Radek?" Rodney said, looking at the Czech with a raised eyebrow.

"Tomorrow at earliest." Radek said quickly.

"Two hours." Rodney countered.

"Tonight... no earlier!"

"Deal. We'll have it ready by..." Rodney looked at his watch. "2100 hours tonight."

Laura nodded, still grinning, and then left.

"You are absolute madman!" Radek said, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

"Why thank you Radek." Rodney replied, smiling from his own inflated ego. "Now let's get working."

XXX

Teyla shook her head, the infirmary came into focus. Bright lights momentarily blinded her, but only momentarily. Her head didn't hurt, but John's thoughts kept intruding on her own. She took a moment to collect herself, letting John become one with her.

"Teyla... you're awake!" Carson said, startled and a bit flustered. He checked her IV line. "Do you have any pains?"

"No." Teyla replied, being completely honest. "I believe I am some how telepathically connected to Colonel Sheppard."

Carson's eyes widened. "I know you have basic telepathic abilities... but you've never been able to read one of our minds."

"No, but I can hear... and speak to Colonel Sheppard."

Carson glanced down at her EKG and brain wave patterns. Both were normal. "Teyla... we nearly lost you a short time ago."

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked, bewildered.

"Your heart stopped lass. You're sure your not feeling any pain?"

"Yes Carson. I am fine." Teyla replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I believe some of my symptoms were a result of what Colonel Sheppard is going through."

"What do you mean?" Carson asked.

"Colonel Sheppard is a prisoner of a group of people from the Telvass Empire." Teyla recited, telling Carson everything John was saying in her head. "They are torturing him for information. They have ripped open his mind and are using it against him."

Carson stared in shock. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

Carson activated his radio. "Doctor Weir, do you have a moment?

"Yes Carson... what is it?" Elizabeth responded... her voice muffled for some reason.

"Elizabeth... what's wrong?" Carson had a suspicion whatever it was it was going to be bad.

"Nothing." Elizabeth denied, her voice becoming clear. "What is it?"

"Teyla's awake... and I she's claiming to be connected telepathically to Colonel Sheppard. I mean... its theoretically possible..."

"I'll be down in a minute." Elizabeth replied, cutting off Carson's long winded explanation.

Carson turned back to Teyla. "How can yah torture someone with their mind?"

"Imagine seeing the ones you care about... Lieutenant Cadman for example... imagine watching them die over and over again. Could you cope with that?" Teyla's voice became frantic.

Panic shot through the mental link connecting her to John. Teyla forced herself to concentrate, John's defenses must have faltered. She could sense... anger... malice... hate enough to stop the wraith. _Teyla allowed herself to fall back from the real world... only for second. Just long enough to grasp John's hand. "Do not allow yourself to fear." She said, absorbing his pain, making it her own, a sharing of senses._

"No..." Carson said after a pause. "I couldn't deal with that."

"Colonel Sheppard taught me to deal with physical torture." Teyla said. "It involves distancing oneself from it. Your mind is always yours." She took a breath. "But John does not even have that."

"Doesn't have what?" Elizabeth asked, practically running into the infirmary.

"He cannot distance himself from pain if his mind has already been taken."

"Teyla?" Elizabeth asked, looking to Carson.

"From what Teyla has told me..." Carson said quietly. "... John Sheppard is being tortured mentally. Not physically."

"Why would anyone do something like that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I couldn't guess." Carson replied.

"We must rescue him." Teyla said, determination written across her brow like before.

"I just received a message from Earth during our regular transmission. Colonel Sheppard has been classified as MIA. Colonel Caldwell has been given command of the military assets of the expedition. There won't be..." Elizabeth turned away. "... a rescue mission."

_Teyla closed her eyes, falling back from the real world again. _

_John glanced at her. "I know. This is what I expected."_

_"I will not accept it!" Teyla replied. "I will not."_

_"I knew this when I volunteered to stay behind Teyla." John replied. "I knew this even when you told me you'd come rescue me. You won't get help from the military."_

_"Nothing shall stop me."_

_"And I doubt nothing could. If you're gonna do this... get going!"_

Teyla opened her eyes again. "May I go to my own quarters?" She had no intention of doing that, but it would get her out of the infirmary.

Carson glanced at Elizabeth for a second, then turned to Teyla. "I want to keep you here for a few more hours at least. Then I'll let you go."

Teyla nodded. It was a compromise. One she'd accept. For now.

XXX

"This is insanity!" Radek said from just behind Rodney.

"Come on Radek... how hard can it be?" Rodney replied, annoyed. "All you need to do is wander into the back room and grab what we need."

"Beckett is voodoo doctor... he sees everything."

"Radek... as much as I believe that his practice is full of voodoo magic... Carson himself has nothing to do with voodoo. He's not telepathic or anything."

"What are you guys up to?" Laura said, throwing them a skeptical glance from just beyond the door. She held up a hand to stop them from saying anything. "I'll distract Carson. Radek... you get the stuff you guys need and Rodney..."  
"Yes?"

"Go see Teyla... she's getting antsy."

Rodney nodded, who better than to distract Carson... though he didn't want to know how than Laura Cadman. Either way... he should see Teyla... and he should probably tell Ronon about the plan. He knew he was down in the gym... probably beating up on poor marines to take out his frustration. Rodney didn't pity them.

Laura went in first, followed by Rodney. Carson was in his office, and the nurses were on break, which was half the reason they had chosen this time to 'borrow' some of Carson medical substances. Rodney glanced back and saw Radek waiting till Laura had entered the office.

He smiled woefully at realizing what a friend Radek was, he wouldn't know what to do if Radek ever ended up like John. Hell... he'd never admit it but Radek was just as brilliant... if not more than he was. Not that Rodney would ever tell him that. Rodney parted the curtain that kept Teyla isolated from the rest of the infirmary.

"Rodney." Teyla nodded, acknowledging his persence.

"Okay... Cadman told me you were getting antsy." Rodney put on his best bedside manner, which wasn't all that comforting.

"Ansty?" Teyla replied... a puzzled expression crossing her face for a good couple of seconds. Then she nodded in approval. "Ahh... yes... I am anxious to get out of the infirmary."

"Radek, Cadman, and I are working on a plan to back to the planet where we left Sheppard." Rodney held up a hand to stop her from saying anything. He lowered his voice. "But to get there we're gonna have to break a lot of rules... the best thing you can do is regain your strength. When we're ready... we'll make sure we spring you."

"I can locate him."

"What?" Rodney said, confused by Teyla's statement.

"Once we reach the planet we will have to find Colonel Sheppard... I can do that. He is connected telepathically to me."

"Creepy... but it works."

"Hurry up McKay..." Radek said in a whisper, peering inside the curtain. "I think voodoo doctor is getting suspicious of the activities Cadman has in mind for this afternoon."

"We've gotta run... if you can... tell him to hang on. We're coming for him." Rodney turned around and darted out of the infirmary with Radek... passing a window to Carson's office on the way... except they couldn't see through the window cause there was a lab coat pushed against it. Rodney tried not to imagine what Laura was up too. He failed... miserably.

XXX

_John took a moment to collect himself, twirling the staves experimentally. Orin seemed to have given up his usual methods... focusing on trying to get into John's mind another way. Not that John would let him in. Normally in this situation... his opponent would be Teyla... and he wouldn't be fighting for his mind._

_Orin attacked, his form strikingly similar to Teyla's. As disconcerting as it was, it worked to John's advantage. He parried, taking a step back to let Orin swing at air. The air of the gym was static, John knew that it was normally a distraction, a break from the day, today it wasn't._

_Instead of the usual give and take that Teyla practiced, Orin mercilessly attack. His form felt familiar, yet wrong. It was Teyla's form, but it was too aggressive, almost Ronon like in nature. John lost his footing and found himself on the floor, he rolled, coming to his feet and taking a quick swipe at Orin._

_As usual John's attempt at physical injury to Orin resulted in nothing. John's only weapon was his wit. "This would be infinitely harder if you actually had to worry about being hurt." John mocked._

_Orin shrugged. "Its much easier to focus without pain."_

_"You have no idea, do you?" John said, catching Orin off-guard._

_"My job requires effectiveness, you have been a most interesting case." Orin attacked._

_John parried, shoving Orin's sticks away. "Because I haven't lost it yet. I'm stronger than you."_

_"We'll see."_

_Mind numbing pain exploded in John's skull. _He had a moment of consciousness. Even with spots of color on his vision he could recognize the chair he'd been strapped to.

"He'll be broke." Orin replied vehemently to someone John couldn't see.

"He'd better." A voice responded. John couldn't put a face on it, he'd never heard it before. But it was a woman's, and she didn't sound like the type he'd want to meet.

The mind numbing pain returned and John gritted his teeth to remain conscious. He failed, falling back into the abyss that was his mind.

XXX

Teyla shifted uncomfortably, feeling the John's pain and desperately trying to hang onto their fragile connection. The heart monitor next to her increased the tempo of its beeping. She had to calm herself, yet her body was responding as if the pain was hers, pouring adrenaline into her veins.

When the adrenaline began to run, her blood ran hot. She wanted to strangle the life out of whoever was doing this to John. It was contrary to her personality, but revenge was something she wholly accepted as a natural fact of life. There would be only that justice for this crime.

_As she entered John's mind she didn't expect to be in the position she was. She was pressed up against the wall of the gym, with a stranger bearing down on her in John's place. She remembered in perfect clarity as to what happened that day._

_They'd both put it behind them, preferring to not deal with it because it raised questions neither of them were ready to ask. Sometimes she thought John was ready, but she always reminded herself, she wasn't. Not yet._

_Teyla saw out of the corner of her eye John, looking like he was trying to ignore it. The stranger pressed himself against her and Teyla felt violated, even though the events were the same of that day. For a moment she couldn't act, then as his foreign lips touched hers she found the will to act._

_Using her smaller size to her advantage, she slipped out of his grasp and grabbed the discarded stave on the floor at her feet. She whirled, ramming it into the stranger's stomach. The blow connected, and the stave snapped in two from the force of the impact._

_She was shocked as John crossed the room, wrapping his arm around the stranger's throat. "Doesn't feel so good when your toys fight back... does it?" John threw the stranger to the ground, then proceeded to rain blows from his fists into his face._

_Teyla had no idea how to respond... she stood back. Already she knew that any normal person would've been dead from the blows John was inflicting. She placed a hand to his shoulder._

_John stopped, his body visibly shaking from the adrenaline. "Teyla?"_

_"John." She replied, drawing him away from the bleeding face of Orin._

_"He's the one." John said, looking down at his bloodied and bruised knuckles. "The one that's made this a living hell."_

_"I thought you could not hurt him."_

_"I can't." John replied. "This has to be some sort of trick."_

_Teyla looked up, trying to comprehend what she'd witnessed. Only to see a women with ice blue hair, matching blue eyes, and icy complexion, and an air of arrogance that astounded Teyla. She didn't seem to notice her though. Teyla wondered why._

_"I'm not sure what kind of stupid pranks Orin's been pulling until now." She said. "But they'll be, merciful compared to me." The woman straightened her back and snapped her fingers. Orin's bloodied corpse vanished. "I suppose I must thank you though. Its rare I get to enjoy the company of my subjects. I'm your worst nightmare."_

_John stood, not making an mention of Teyla's presence. "If Orin's the best you've got... good luck."_

_"I won't need it." The woman smiled, revealing white teeth far too white for someone who reeked of malice and hate. "But the sentiment is appreciated."_

Suddenly Teyla awoke... and could no longer find John's presence in her mind.


	6. Move Out

Laura Cadman looked at the sketch she'd drawn. The rudimentary casings had come from the mess hall's leftover canned goods from the Daedalus' most recent supply run. She drummed her fingers on them, looking at the detonators she'd recently acquired.

It hadn't been the easiest thing to do. She had been painfully aware of the security feed, luckily that officer owed her a favor and had said he'd keep his mouth shut. Three detonators, crudely affixed to the canisters with a tiny amount of C4. It was just enough to rupture the canisters and spill the gas all over the place, without igniting it.

Of course there was no way to know for certain if it would actually work. She trusted Rodney about the chemical, despite her misgivings about chemical warfare. If any of her superiors found out, she'd be sitting without a commission in the marines. It was the one thing that worried her.

She sighed, leaning back, wishing Carson was here to give her a bit of support. God only knew she needed it. She needed to know she was doing the right thing, something kept bothering her about it. Maybe it was just deceiving everyone that trusted her.

This was Teyla's fight, and Laura knew it, Ronon and Rodney's too. It wasn't hers. Yet her friendship with Rodney, and her sympathy over the loss of John Sheppard had brought her into this team. For some reason that didn't feel right, was she really a part of the team, or just something everyone needed.

The gas had been delivered by Radek earlier, in a large burlap sack with three containers with the gas. The containers themselves were extremely flammable and easily burned, which was another thing needed to making a grenade.

Laura shifted in her seat and adjusted the desk lamp she was using to light her makeshift workbench. She carefully packed the first gas package into its container, then fastened the top back on. She'd cut a crude hole in the tops for the detonator. When the button was pressed, the timers were set for five seconds, then they'd explode, spilling the gas everywhere.

She checked the seal, tossing the grenade up in the air a few centimeters and catching it. Nothing shifted, which had been her first worry. The contents were table and not likely to go flying. The gas would be useless if it wasn't released from its container.

The second check she did was a simple detonator check, she pressed the button. There was a faint beep. She immediately pressed it again. There was another beep and it shut off. She'd programmed each of them with an extra second, just so she could run that test.

"Rodney you'd better be right about this." Laura muttered, moving on to the second grenade.

XXX

Ronon took another swipe at the punching bag, the impact allowed him to settle some of his anger. John Sheppard was the one person in the entire city he entirely trusted with his life. No one else had earned Ronon's trust. Not even Elizabeth Weir.

He slammed the punching bag on its peak swing away from him, reveling in the pain that shot up his arm. It allowed him to focus, to breath. For days he'd been seething, ready to fight at any moment. He'd been willing to go alone, but he knew he'd be stopped by the Earth marines, for his own good. At least thats what he knew they thought.

He'd been a runner from the wraith for eight years. His reflexes were honed like the end of a freshly sharpened spear. He could walk through that gate and take down most of the defenders, maybe. If they were waiting even he might be overwhelmed. He should've stayed with Sheppard, but McKay had to be defended.

The door to the gym opened, Ronon grunted and turned, expecting it to be another marine. Instead it was Teyla. She looked a bit tired, but what scared him was the amount of worry in her eyes. Beckett had promised to release her about now, so Ronon didn't worry.

"Teyla." He said with a nod.

"Ronon, has Doctor McKay told you of his plan to save Colonel Sheppard?"

"Briefly." Ronon replied, remembering the brief conversation with McKay. "Something about going without permission. Its the only thing keeping me here."

"I cannot find him." Teyla said, her voice sounded strange. Something mixed with worry and guilt. He wasn't sure about what. There was still the signs of her injury showing just below the waistline of her black tank-top.

"He said he'd find me." Ronon turned back to the punching bag. "You alright?"

"I am fine." Teyla snapped. "I have lost my connection to John... Colonel Sheppard... and I do not believe he has much time."

"You can't be distracted." He said calmly, turning back to face her and approaching.

"I am not distracted." Teyla said, in a quiet tone of voice, but he could still hear the subtle threat if he continued.

Ronon decided a different tactic. He faked a low punch. Teyla did more than dodge, she spun, dropping into an instinctive combat stance, a small smile coming to her face. Ronon lowered his center of gravity to match hers, tossing her a pair of sticks, he relied on one, which he kept for himself.

Teyla brought both up in her train grip. "You need not test my reflexes Ronon."

"Lets see about that." He finished quickly, taking a heavy swing towards her.

Teyla blocked it and redirected it out of the way, catching Ronon's counter swing with her second stick and then spinning on her left foot, using it as a pivot point. Ronon stepped back using his long stride to stay out of her range.

A single bead of perspiration fell from Teyla's eyebrow. Then she attacked, dropping low to take advantage of her small size. Ronon managed to parry her first two attacks, but got her elbow in his stomach on the third attack.

He grunted, he'd taken far worse. Teyla had arrested her blow at the last second. Enough for him to realize she could've knocked him down there. Teyla had already backed away. "Are you satisfied?" Teyla asked, the sharpness in her tone evident, but her expression was one of relief.

"Yeah." Ronon grinned, prompting another hit, this time in the arm from Teyla. "Just checking."

"Let us go find Doctor McKay." Teyla said, setting her sticks in the corner where the practice staffs rested.

XXX

"Hacking city security is stupid Rodney!" Radek exclaimed, finally realizing what Rodney was doing.

"All I have to do is lock out Elizabeth's pass code at 21h00 tonight." Rodney said, typing another string of commands into the keyboard. They were at the auxiliary control room, interfacing with the citywide network.

"And all it takes is for Elizabeth to look down at her console to see that we are doing this!" Radek said, again pointing out the obvious.

Rodney moaned. "And Elizabeth is busy getting dinner with Caldwell."

"What?" Radek asked. "I thought... they could not stand each other!"

"He's made impressive progress swooning our young doctor." Rodney said with a smirk.

"Define progress?" Radek said slowly.

"It means Elizabeth isn't inclined to let Sheppard kill him." Rodney finished the command line. "There, at 21h00 tonight, which is when we will make our escape, Elizabeth won't be able to override my security lock down until we're through the gate."

Radek took a deep breath. "I'm not going with Rodney."

"Why not Radek?"

"I will be hazard. I will slow you down."

"And you think Ronon and Teyla aren't used to it by now. You're coming with Radek because I'm not doing this alone." Rodney gave Radek a wistful smile. "Besides, two brains are better than one, because even me with all my mental capacity cannot compare to both of us."

"Is that compliment?" Radek asked, shocked.

"Uhhh... maybe." Rodney said quickly. He tapped his radio. "Cadman, you ready?"

"Yes Rodney." Laura replied over the radio.

"Ronon, what about you?"

"Been waiting, where should Teyla and I meet you?"

"Armory." Rodney turned to Radek. "Lets go."

XXX

Teyla walked in silence next to Ronon. She wasn't even concentrating on making it the armory, all her thoughts were focused on where he connection to John had been. Where there had once been his thoughts, there was nothing. It scared Teyla, maybe that woman had truly seen her.

She doubled her pace, further determined to get back to John before it was too late, before he was lost to them. Ronon kept stride easily, his longer legs allowing him to move quicker to begin with. The armory was guarded usually, but not generally well. Two guards were at the entrance.

"Ronon, Teyla." One of them said, nodding to them.

"We require access to the armory." Teyla said as calmly as she could. "Doctor McKay needs Ronon's weapon for a scientific experiment."

The guard nodded, and opened the door with a wave of his hand. Ronon stepped inside first, heading to the rack that held his usual off-world gear. He strapped the pistol to his waste and draped the sword across his back.

Teyla retrieved her jacket and vest, securing them both. She grabbed a P90, clipping it to her vest and extra ammunition, placing it on her belt. Instead of the normal pistol she carried off-world she took a hand held wraith stunner, holding it at the ready.

"We're gonna have to deal with the guards." Ronon said quietly.

"Are you set to stun?" Teyla asked.

Ronon checked. "Always in Atlantis."

She nodded, making her way to the doorway. She opened it again, the two marines turned around. "What's going on?" The one who had opened the door earlier asked.

"I am sorry." Teyla said, firing her stunner at one of them. Ronon shot the other. Teyla caught the one nearest to her, gently setting him down on the floor, Ronon again followed suit. "We will not have long."

Luckily, Rodney and Radek showed up just at that moment, followed by Laura. "Was that completely necessary!" Rodney yelled.

"They are unharmed." Teyla replied. "It will not be long before we are discovered. We must hurry."

"Right." Rodney, Radek, and Laura grabbed their gear from the armory. Teyla was surprised to see Rodney carrying a P90, he had only started carrying it occasionally now. They all carried stunners instead of pistols. In each of there hands were gas masks, with two extras.

XXX

Elizabeth yawed, looking down at her datapad while leaning back in her seat. It had been way to long of a day. On the datapad was her initial report on John's situation. It was enough, but she still had to go over it and make sure it was worded correctly, to prevent the committee from overreacting.

She could deal with Colonel Caldwell as her military commander. He didn't do things like John, nobody ever wood, but she didn't want to be sent someone new. She wanted someone she'd learned to deal with. Besides, he had the right intentions, and had become a much more agreeable person after the removal of the Goa'uld in him.

She dropped it on her desk. It was getting late and she had to get up early for a briefing with Major Lorne's team. She stood up and walked to the control room. Only a handful of technicians were on duty, most with some form of coffee on hand.

"Any activity on the city scanners?" She asked.

"Nothing, space is clear." The scientist replied.

"Good, and the city?"

The scientist bent over his console for a second. "Wait a second..."

Elizabeth turned to look at the gate for a second, just as a mix of blue and red stunner bolts took down all four marines on guard duty. She was just about to radio a security alert when she felt a stunner to her back.

"Don't make me Elizabeth." Rodney said, nearly stumbling over each word.

"What the hell is going on Rodney?" Elizabeth asked as Ronon and Teyla became visible in the gate room.

"We're rescuing Colonel Sheppard... and saving you from the international committee." Rodney replied.

Radek walked in front of Elizabeth, pushing the gate technician out of the way. Radek punched in the symbols on the DHD. Elizabeth noticed Laura Cadman walking around from the lower entrance, she was carrying three cylinders.

"Rodney.. this is crazy." She said.

"I know, but I seem to work miracles." Rodney gently pushed her to the control room. "I'm sorry Elizabeth."

"Rodney, don't..."  
"And don't try to stop us." Rodney said. "Ronon can hit anyone near the DHD from the gate room."

"Security lock down is in place." Radek said, getting up from the chair and engaging the Stargate.

"Throw the grenades." Rodney yelled to Ronon, Teyla, and Laura.

"What's in those grenades?" Elizabeth asked.

"You don't want to know. Its enough to get us there." Rodney pulled his gas mask down over his head. Radek followed suit.

"RODNEY!" Elizabeth yelled.

Rodney left Elizabeth standing there as he jogged down the steps and to the gate. Laura was silently counting, Teyla and Ronon both stood ready, their weapons in position. Ronon was facing the control room, watching. Elizabeth stood next to the glass, worry and concern written across her face.

"Its time." Laura said. "Let's go!"

Teyla and Laura stepped through first, followed by Ronon, then Rodney and Radek.

XXX

Elizabeth watched the Stargate shut down, and for a moment wondered if maybe she should have gone with them. John Sheppard was as important to her as he was to them. No, Rodney had saved her the political trouble by acting as a rogue.

She waited for only a few seconds when Major Lorne arrived with security. "What happened?" He asked.

"They're gone." Elizabeth said, turning away from him and heading back to her office.


	7. Jailbreak

Rodney's description hadn't prepared Teyla for what she saw through the limited vision provided by her gas mask on the other side of the gate. The guards were all down, she couldn't tell if they were dead or unconscious. It didn't matter, they probably did not have much time before the gate was reinforced.

Teyla let her mind wander as she raced after Ronon and Laura, into the forest. She reached back for the place John had so recently occupied in her mind. Where he could talk to her. She could feel his presence, but she couldn't seem to get any further. His mind was unnaturally closed, impossible to enter.

"We've got at least thirty minutes before that stuff dissipates." Rodney said. "It'll take the guards another hour or more to wake up, depending on how well I mixed the stuff."

"We did not have time for scientific accuracy." Radek added.

"At this point it... hardly... matters." Rodney said, rapidly becoming breathless from the aggressive pace set by Ronon and Laura.

The pace slowed as they put more distance between themselves and the gate, finally slowing to walking after running for a good half hour. Both Rodney and Radek were bent over, exhausted. But they continued with only mild complaints.

Teyla closed her eyes, trying to find where John was based on her telepathic sense alone. She could still feel him, distant, muted, but she was at a loss to explain where he was. She could feel the pressure from her teammates to find that information as quickly as possible.

"We need a direction." Ronon said, stopping and turning to look at Teyla.

"I am trying." Teyla said, disappointed at her own failure as much as frustrated. "I need a place where I can concentrate fully."

"And while she's working on that, hopefully I can find Sheppard's transponder with the scanner." Rodney added.

Ronon looked to Laura.

The marine shrugged in return. "I want to find a cave, but anywhere will do."

"A cave is probably for the best." Teyla said. "We wish to avoid detection, do we not?"

Laura quickly looked around. "Except of course I don't see anything."

"I do." Ronon said, leading them towards what he saw in the distance.

XXX

_"This woman... this Teyla you treasure so much..." The woman said, casually walking around John as he stood in the center. _

_ He'd already tried lunging for her, she was as elusive as Orin had ever been. He felt more of prisoner in his own mind than in control. When he'd had Teyla in the back of his mind, he'd felt better, stronger, able to counter Orin's attacks. "Gotta name, or just a big mouth?"_

_ "No, it's not time for introductions yet." The woman seemed to not even care that he was there, glaring at her._

_ His mind was working with every moment to fight back. He knew he couldn't do much just arguing with her, that's probably what she wanted. All the while he kept trying to confuse her by thinking of random things._

_ He hoped he was succeeding. "When Teyla gets a hold of you, you'll beg for her mercy."_

_ "Its a shame there won't be much left of your mind by the time she gets here." The woman smiled. It wasn't a nice smile either. "Perhaps I should show you what we do know, it might help you with your decision to tell us everything we want to know."_

John awoke to the sensation of his muscles burning. He was in the room where he knew he'd spent the last... he didn't even know how long. His stomach churned in demand for more food. It was a classic interrogation trick.

He tired to move his toes, and remarkably he could. He couldn't move his legs because of the restraints but he knew now that he could walk and more importantly fight again. Or so he was hoping. He hoped Teyla was going to arrive soon.

Large burly henchman one and two were still present. The woman was holding a small display pad. It looked vaguely like Elizabeth's PDA, but still alien. She moved to straddle him in the chair, holding it inches from his face.

He tried to avoid reacting when he saw the unmistakable cross hair of a sniper's weapon, and Teyla's head centered in the sight. He bit his lip, weighing his options. In the lower corner of the display, the word 'HOLD' flashed in bright red letters.

"Why are you doing this?" John managed after a moment. "You know I'm no spy in whatever war you're involved in."

"Oh I've known that from the first moment you were captured." The woman replied, tightening her grip on him with her legs. "But you hold the key to Atlantia, the lost city of our forefathers, the Telvass Empire's legacy."

"Really now, wouldn't have guessed." John replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Just like everyone else in this damn galaxy."

"I've seen into your mind, don't lie John Sheppard." She said. "As soon as I press this button, the sniper will fire. And I'm sure you know about the lethality of a head shot."

"Even if I tell you what you want, you'll still kill her anyway." _Run Teyla, RUN! _John thought into their former connection. _You're being watched, get out of there! _Suddenly, he felt an echo, but it wasn't his voice. He repeated his message, waiting for Teyla to move.

XXX

_Run Teyla, RUN!_ John voice echoed into her head, their connection reopening as quickly as it had been blocked. _You're being watched, get out of there. At least one sniper on your 3 o'clock._ Teyla glanced sideways quickly, directly in the direction John had told her. Her hand lowered to her P90's trigger. "SNIPER!" She yelled, just as she focused in on the sniper with her P90, using John's vision to aim her shot directly along the sniper's site. She fired.

Seconds later there was a crash as someone fell from a nearby tree. Laura and Ronon were already running, their weapons out. Radek and Rodney followed closely behind, Teyla took up the rear. "The cave, it is no longer safe!" She yelled.

A shot impacted near her foot, and then time seemed to slow down. Teyla spun, stepping sideways as she did and fired, aiming for where she knew John was viewing another sniper. She almost felt his laughter at his captors as she raced to catch up with Laura and Ronon.

Adrenaline made her feet quick. Within seconds she was running behind them again. There was another flash, and she knew where she had to go to find him. She ran ahead of Rodney and Radek, gently taking the lead and directing them in a new direction. Laura dropped back to cover the rear.

"Found him?" Ronon asked, even though it was more of a statement.

"Yes." Teyla replied simply. "He informed me of the snipers as well."

"Any more on us for now?"

"Not that John can see from."

Ronon grabbed her, hauling her back and causing them all to stop. He ducked into a nearby cave. For a second, Teyla wanted to protest, then she realized what Ronon had done. He was trying to throw off their pursuers, at least temporarily.

She joined him in the cave, letting Rodney and Radek into it first. The two scientists were both red in the face, exhausted from the running. Teyla realized that while she was not exhausted, they had been doing much running recently.

"We cannot wait for long." Teyla said.

"Just a bit." Ronon replied, "or at least until we've got an idea of the patrols."

"Agreed." Teyla said, she sat down, away from the entrance to the cave. She didn't dare light her P90's flashlight. The needed to stay hidden, at least for the moment. She tried to openly communicate with John again, but he seemed distant again, unable to communicate. The blocks had returned.

The colorful dialect of Athosian that she swore in drew a few glances, but she could tell Laura got it by the way the marine semiled, even in the dim lighting of the cave. Ronon seemed to understand, only Rodney looked completely clueless.

The only lighting was coming from the scanner Rodney held in his hands. Its light did not carry far, but illuminated his face in a blue glow. After a few seconds, Rodney looked up with a grin on his face. "Got Sheppard's location." He showed the device to everyone.

On the display was a single blue dot, right now at the edge of the screen, but it gave them a direction. Several yellow dots were close by. "The yellow dots are their soldiers." Rodney added quickly.

"Not many of them." Ronon said.

"That's because they know we're after Sheppard." Laura replied.

"They're moving away." Rodney frowned. "They're all going to where Sheppard is."

"Are you sure Rodney?" Radek asked.

"Positive." Rodney looked speechless.

"Then we'd better hurry." Laura said, getting to her feet. "Hopefully it's not some kind of underground bunker."

"Knowing our luck... it'll be just that." Rodney moaned, getting up and leading the way with Ronon next to him.

XXX

John laughed, despite himself. He was certain that he'd regret it. The woman slowly climbed off of him, setting her pad on a nearby table. She looked closely at the instrument, then turned to face him once more.

John took a deep breath, trying to force feeling into his muscles. They burned in response, probably a good sign, he could still feel them. Of course it wasn't like he could move either, the restraints still dug into his skin. And he still had the crazy woman about to start round two on him.

"Sheppard." She stated simply. "I underestimated the connection... I thought I had managed to disconnect you." She climbed onto him once again. "However, your connection works both ways." She smiled once again.

John didn't have a word for the pain that he felt following that. He felt as if his brain was being ripped from his skull. In seconds the entire world blackened around him... and John Sheppard felt himself slip away into the black.

XXX

"It's here." Rodney stated, gesturing towards what was definitely a bunker before them. It was built straight into the ground, with a inclined surface leading deeper into the complex.

Teyla nodded in response. "A bunker... as you predicted Rodney. We will have to move quickly, before they have a chance to further setup."

"No way we're going to make it going head-on." Ronon was surveying the site with a pair of binoculars. "There's two mounted guns at the entrance and at least 4 guards."

"Scanner shows at least 30 in the compound." Radek added. "I would imagine that they are at least aware that the gate guards have been incapacitated if not completely aware of our impending attack."

Ronon passed the binoculars over to Laura. "There's a row of air vents beyond the entrance."

"I see them." She replied. "Can't tell if they're accessible or not."

"Let's go check them out." Ronon gestured to the treeline which would take them around the main entrance. He started to move then noticed Teyla wasn't. "Teyla?"

She blinked, then look back at Ronon. "Yes Ronon, I am coming."

"You alright?" Rodney asked.

"Yes Rodney, I am fine." Teyla motioned for Rodney and Radek to follow Ronon and Laura. She was lying, at least for a second, the entire world had seemed fuzzy to her. Fuzzy was not the correct word, but it was hard to place the feeling that something was off. Something that might've been coming from inside of her. It passed as quickly as it began. She shook it off and managed to keep up with the rest of the group.

They approached the air vents. Steam rose from them into the atmosphere. Ronon placed his hand in the steam. It didn't stay there long.

"It's hot." Ronon gave the obvious statement.

"Well... we might be going in the front door then." Laura sighed and looked back towards the entrance. "We'd need a lot of luck to get through that."

"Wait wait wait." Rodney held up a hand. "I think there's an access hatch. The scanner shows... something."

"It is barely something Rodney." Radek shrugged at the looks from the other three of the group.

"No it's something! I'm smarter than you Radek." Rodney looked intently at the scanner, then the ground. He then slammed his foot down on the ground. A loud metal bang rang out across the clearing.

Time seemed to slow down for the next few seconds. There was a thunk as a latch clicked free, and then the ground under Rodney pivoted, knocking the scientist off his feet. A head appeared. Teyla didn't recognize him. She drew her stunner and fired without thinking. By the time she'd fired, two other stunner blasts rang out as well. The face, obviously connected with someone else collapsed back down the hatch he'd come out of. There were several thumps, followed by another bang and a crash before all the noise stopped.

Ronon took a quick look down the hatch, then jumped down into it. His weapon fired several times. There was no return fire. "Clear." His voice rang out from below.

Laura gestured for the scientists to get into the bunker. "I've got our six, go!"

The room that they dropped into had computers along the far wall, similar to the ones used by the Atlantis team, or at least it looked that way to Teyla. The other walls were bare gray metal plating. There were 4 bodies on the floor.

Each wore black jumpsuits, padded with some kind of armor. While it obviously had been ineffective against Ronon's weapon, the padding looked and felt similar to the kevlar vest that they used. Teyla made a mental note to shoot for the head if and when the time came.

Rodney was working a panel near the door, both he and Radek already had their computers out. Wires dangled precariously from the panel's exposed interior. Laura was standing on at the top of the ladder near the hatch, occasionally popping up to see if anyone was on to them.

Another clunk and the door opened... along with alarms beginning to wail throughout the facility. Rodney sighed. "This is why I told you to slow down Radek."

"Slow down... this was all you Rodney!" Radek responded.

Ronon shoved the door open. "Shut up and move out!" Seconds later Ronon's weapon began firing. Soon it was joined by automatic weapons fire from the various guards. Ronon had taken covered just beyond the doorway in a small alcove. Teyla moved up to cover him, darting pass Radek and Rodney. Ronon held up 3 fingers. Teyla leaned around the corner and squeezed off a burst, then ducked back just as quickly. Bullets ricocheted off the wall behind her.

The distraction was enough for Ronon however, who rolled out into the hallway, firing as he went. There was one solid thud as his weapon drilled one of the guards clean in the chest burning through armor and flesh at the same time. Teyla moved to cover him, darting across the gap and firing a burst as she went. It was far from an random burst though. The bullets all struck home on one target, leaving the last one for Ronon, who dispatched his target effortlessly.

The bigger man came to his feet quickly. "McKay... direction?"

"Second hallway on your left!" The scientist yelled in reply.

Ronon and Teyla led the way.

XXX

Ultimately the guards had failed to be much of a hindrance. Within minutes, they were on top of Sheppard's subdermal transponder. The door was locked, like every other door in the building. Ronon and Laura set up position on either side of the team, to keep an eye out for other guards.

"Security lockdown is making each door more difficult." Radek commented to Rodney.

"Not nearly difficult enough though." Rodney disconnected his computer. "Teyla if you would be so kind?"

Teyla readied herself, raising her P90 as Radek toggled the door switch. The door slide open, revealing two very large guards. They both were easily twice her size, but their weapons were pointed elsewhere... Teyla's heart sank.

Without even wasting a heartbeat, she opened fire, spraying bullets clear through both targets. She then entered and rolled. The whole world rocked beneath as she made eye contact with the woman standing over John. She felt her mind being forced open, it took every last bit of concentration to hold her ground. Time seemed to stop.

_John was on his knees before her, but this was not the room she was just in. It was Atlantis, the gate room. The woman she'd just made eye contact with was standing behind him, a weapon pointed at his head. Teyla herself was weaponless._

_ "So you are Teyla Emmagen." Her voice dripped with confidence. "Your mind is much stronger than his."_

_ Teyla narrowed her eyes. The domain of the mind was something she was used to fighting in. "You will release him immediately." Her voice responded to the unspoken threat with a calm that frightened even Teyla herself._

_ To her surprise, the woman stood. "Of course Teyla."_

Teyla found herself back in the room where John had been interrogated. The woman standing before her stumbled, then turned to her. "Teyla?" The voice was hesitant.

Teyla knew at that moment what she had to do. She closed her eyes. Time stopped around her as she stretched her mind out across the distance and into the body of John Sheppard, where an intruder was doing her best to remain unseen.

The mental barriers were strong, but Teyla's will was stronger.

_The gate room reappeared. This time a stasis pod to her left held John Sheppard. Standing before her was the woman. "Nice try." Teyla drew her knife. "I am stronger than you."_

_ "No you're not." The woman replied, brandishing a sword._

_ Teyla shook her head. "The size of weapon matters nothing to me."_

_ "Oh but it does." The woman crossed the distance between them in and instant. Teyla simply vanished. For a moment the woman simply looked around startled. Teyla reappeared behind her, and rammed her weapon home. The woman gasped, collapsing to the floor. "Go back to your body woman." Teyla's voice was laced with anger._

_ "No... I will not be defeated."_

Teyla opened her eyes again and met the eyes of the woman before her. Sure of her success, she pulled the trigger. A single bullet impacted the woman's head, pitching her back and slamming to the floor. Death for her was instant. Teyla immediately came to her feet and crossed the distance between her and John.

His eyes opened. He blinked, once, twice. "I'm not hallucinating." He stated.

"No Colonel, you are not."

"It's really you?"

Teyla began to undo the restraints.

John feel to the floor as she undid the last one. "Ow... forgot to mention they gave me something that made all my limbs pretty numb."

By now Rodney and Radek had both entered the room. "Well can you feel them?"

"Now I can." John managed to roll over. "But I'm gonna need a bit of help getting out of here."

"Teyla, we'll carry him," said Rodney, "we'll need you shooting."

"Will you be alright?" Teyla directed her question to John.

Rodney was the one who replied however. "Don't worry."

She caught a knowing glance from John however and single thought. _Don't worry, they've got it. _She also caught another one added on. _Just get me back to Atlantis._

_Fear not John._ Teyla smiled for the first time in days.

XXX

John could feel his limbs, for the first time in however long he could feel them. Also worth noting was that he was very hungry. However, that was probably something of secondary importance in the grand scheme of things. Ronon and Teyla were leading the way, with Rodney shouting directions as they cleared every corner.

The further he got away from that room, the stronger he felt. He started moving his legs with the two supporting most of his weight. As the fog lifted from his mind her could even start paying attention to what was going on. Ronon and Teyla both stopped abruptly near what Rodney had described as the main entrance.

"That's alot of bad guys," Ronon stated.

"We cannot shoot our way pass them." Teyla replied.

"Whatever you're gonna do, make it quick." Laura was guarding the corner behind them and had begun to open fire. "We've got company at our six o'clock.!" Her voice rang clear above the gunfire, which further helped John focus.

He shoved himself free of Rodney and Radek and managed to stand on his own two feet. "Rodney, stunner."

Without thinking the scientist passed the weapon to John. By the time he thought about it he turned in shock to see John standing on his own and ready to go. Well... as ready as he was gonna be. "What's the situation?" He asked his teammates.

Teyla smiled despite herself. "We are trapped, much like we were when we first arrived."

"And our plan is?"

"We're working on that." Ronon also flashed a grin.

"So business as usual? Ok."

"Umm... guys..." Laura pulled a grenade from her belt while firing a burst down the hallway. She threw the grenade and ducked behind the corner. "They're gonna catch up to us any second."

"Well... then we're make a break for it. Got any grenades?"

"That was the last one!" Laura yelled.

John took a deep breath. "Well... get ready... 1... 2..." He didn't make it to 3.

Teyla held up her hand as she listened into her radio. "Affirmative Major we are pinned down at the main entrance could you please clear a path."

Second later the sound of jumper drones impacting the forces outside was all they needed to know before heading out. Teyla took point, Ronon behind her, followed by the scientists and John, and finally Laura.

While the troops that had assembled ran from the invisible jumper the door opened right in front of them. 2 soldiers disembarked, firing at the groups heading into the forest with M-60 machine guns, further drawing them into a retreat.

"Get in." Major Lorne yelled from the cockpit.

They climbed aboard, and just as suddenly as the battle had begun, it ended, with the invisible jumped flying high into space. They could breath again.

XXX

John awoke with a start, heard the distinctive sound of an EKG beeping to his side. He didn't even recall passing out, his last memory had been of getting on the jumper, then it had all gone dark. "Am I dead?" He said out loud.

"You were bloody close Colonel." Carson replied. The doctor placed a hand on John's shoulder. "We put you on a nutrient drip the second we got you here, how long has it been since you ate?"

"I don't have a clue." John shook his head. "Where's Teyla?"

"I told the poor lass to go get something to eat." Carson smiled. "Had to shoo the entire group of them out of the infirmary at least twice in a pass few hours." He glanced down at his tablet. "I took the liberty of running your bloodwork, the drug that you were subjected to was some very strong stuff, you're lucky not to be paralyzed."

"So I will be able to move again right?"

"Of course." Carson replied. "You can actually move right now, your body seems to have processed most of it. However, you may feel a wee bit light headed."

John flexed his hand, it hurt a bit and his muscle tingled with the sensation of a million tiny little needles, but it moved. How he had managed to become fully alert initially he didn't have the slightest clue, probably adrenaline. He sat up slowly, being mindful of the IV.

"I can remove this... but on your doctor's orders you have to eat immediately."

"That's one order I can follow."

As he dressed he reached out with his mind and found Teyla. Her mind instantly recognized his presence. _I will be there momentarily._

By the time he was dressed, the Athosian woman had made it to the infirmary. He gave her his best smile. "That's so much cooler than a cell phone."

Teyla frowned then, as she remembered what a cell phone was, smiled. She took a deep breath. "How are you?"

"Better." He replied. "Hungry though, doc says I need to eat."

"Then you should follow Dr. Beckett's directions." _We can talk afterward._

"Lead the way." He offered her his arm.

Teyla took it with a smile. They both exited the infirmary and once in the hallway John swore he could smell the feast all the way down in the cafeteria. Of course that only made him even hungrier.

XXX

He'd been hungry in the infirmary. Now it was becoming a problem as he entered the cafeteria. Worse yet, as he tried to make his way to get his food from the chef, everyone... and he meant everyone... kept blocking his way to say how good it was to see he was still up. Teyla helped to divert some of them, repeatedly saying that he was under doctor's order to eat.

He took his tray of steaming hot food and head straight for the table where his team sat, though with a few notable additions. Sitting next to Rodney near the back wall on the left side of the table was Laura Cadman, to her left was Ronon. Elizabeth and Radek were sitting on the other side. An abandoned tray of food was to Elizabeth's right. John set his tray down on the outside edge of the table and grabbed a nearby chair.

"Sheppard, are you alright?" Rodney was the first to speak. "Breaking a few seconds of awkward silence as John sat down.

Laura punched him in the shoulder. "Can't you see the man's hungry?"

John held up his hand to forstall any other comments and quickly devoured a sizable quantity of his food. After making sure he'd finished chewing he looked back up at his team and smiled. "Aside from being very hungry, I'm doing good." He proceeded to continue clearing his plates.

"Have they told exactly what they did to rescue you?" Elizabeth asked.

"No." John replied. "I haven't exactly asked."

"I'll leave them to explain it, but I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining this to stargate command."

Now John was interested. "What did you guys do?"

"We broke out." Ronon stated in between bite of his food.

"Broke out?"

"As in we violated strict orders." Radek explained.

"And made something that is probably considered a chemical weapon." Laura added, a grin coming to her mouth.

"However, aside from a few bruises, no one was hurt." Teyla added to finish the story.

"Report." John pointed to Laura.

"Why me?" She asked in response.

"You're the new kid on the team." John grinned from ear to ear.

"What about Radek, he's new!"

"He's not military."

Laura bowed her head in submission, before laughing. "Good one Colonel."

John's grinned vanished as the painful reality set in. "I can't thank you enough for coming to rescue me."

Teyla placed a hand on John's shoulder. "You are not alone. We would never leave you behind."

"Even if it did mean facing near death." Rodney added. "Though I'd like to remind you that near death experiences are not something I'm particularly..."

He was cut off by a punch from Ronon.

"Did you ever find out who those people were?" Elizabeth asked.

"Telvass Empire." John replied. "The claim that Atlantis is their legacy." He swallowed slowly. "And they're good at using your mind against you, naturally born talent if you ask me. Probably better than the Wraith."

"Mental abilities beyond the Wraith." Elizabeth shook her head. "The IOA is going to love this."

"I can vouch for Colonel Sheppard." Teyla replied. "Because of my natural abilities I was able to sense their minds."

"What can we do?"

"I recommend backup in the form of a cloaked jumper for every mission in the near future." John knew it wasn't exactly cost effective, but it would've prevented them from being captured in the first place. "We didn't seem to encounter any of their abilities when we were first fighting, but they had alot of soldiers to throw at us."

"And alot of them came after us after we rescued Sheppard." Ronon finished.

"In the meantime we'll lock out that address." Elizabeth sighed, finishing off the last of her dinner. "Now I have to work on the report," Elizabeth stood, "Colonel Sheppard, please send me yours when you have a chance."

"I'll get some help from my rebellious team." He said with a smile.

XXX

One by one, everyone said their goodnights, slowly trickling away for the evening's activities. John had delegated out sections of the report for everyone to write. Finally it was just John and Teyla. They exited the cafeteria and took the first detour to one of the city's numerous balconies. John took her hand in his. "Teyla... what I went through... I can't even begin to describe."

_Use your mind John._

Her voice startled him... especially as he was still watching her. He took a deep breath, then let his memories free and shared them directly with her mind. He watched as she closed her eyes. He felt his stomach churn as he remembered all the pictures he'd been forced to watch. He saw a tear drop from Teyla's eye to hit the floor beneath their feet.

"You need not say anything at all John." Teyla said after he had finished showing her what he had witnessed.

"I know it wasn't real." He said, turning to look out over the water all around the city. "But that doesn't change the fact that it felt real... and it looked real."

"John, what you have lived through would have broke lesser men."

"Well, glad to know I'm not a 'lesser man'" He replied, a smile returning to his face.

Teyla smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are indeed far from a 'lesser man.' I am honored to fight beside you. To share a friendship with you unlike any other."

John reached out with his mind, touching Teyla's. She opened her mind in response. Their thoughts flowed freely from each other. "This is so cool."

"We are joined John Sheppard. I will never leave you side, no matter how far apart we may be."

"And neither of us will be alone, ever again."


End file.
